EVERETT – Was it a shot or was it a pass? Even Everett girls soccer coach Kosta Pitharoulis wasn’t sure, though “we’re going to call it a shot because it went in,” he said with a smile.
“That’s how we judge those,” Pitharoulis added. “If it goes in, it was a good shot. If it doesn’t, it was a bad pass.”
So, yes, it was a good shot. And a timely shot at that, giving the Seagulls the only goal they would need Wednesday in a 1-0 first-round State Class 3A playoff victory over Auburn Mountainview on a cool and mostly rainy evening at Everett Memorial Stadium.
The winning goal came midway through the first half, with Everett midfielder Suzy Olsen sending a shot toward the Auburn Mountainview goal from the right corner. The ball clipped a Lions defender and was redirected, taking an odd bounce over goalkeeper Carly Caban’s head and into the far left corner of the net, just inside the post.
Some 55 minutes of soccer still remained, and Auburn Mountainview mounted increasing pressure right to the end. Still, Everett’s defense stood the test, sending the Seagulls on to a state quarterfinals match against Seattle Prep at 7 p.m. Friday at Everett Memorial Stadium.
“I think our kids rose to the occasion tonight,” Pitharoulis said. Being in the state playoffs “is new for them. These are uncharted waters. But they did well. I thought they could have done some things differently, but it worked.”
With so many young players – the Seagulls have just four seniors and three juniors out of 22 on the varsity roster – Pitharoulis said he was “concerned about their nerves. But I thought they showed a great deal of composure out there.”
“I don’t believe we’ve seen their best soccer yet,” he said. “They’ve had glimpses of spectacular soccer, but I think there’s more in them. I realize they’ve been together for two months … but they’re still learning the ins and outs of each other’s play. But I think we’re getting closer.”
Pitharoulis was particularly pleased with his team’s defense, anchored by senior goalkeeper and team co-captain Makenna Brinster.
“Our defense starts with our forwards and ends with our goalie,” he said. “And with our team defense, we did a very nice job tonight. We didn’t give (the Lions) too many real good looks. Most of their shots came from 20 or more yards away, and tonight Makenna was able to handle that.”
“Our defense had a great game,” Brinster said. “They helped me out a lot.”
Playing from behind most of the night, Auburn Mountainview never went away. The Lions had some good chances in the second half, the first requiring Brinster to make a diving save, her only save of the night. That was followed by a corner kick that was played just over the crossbar, and another corner kick was tipped away by Brinster from in front of the goal.
Everett had some good chances, too, and the best came moments before the goal. It happened when junior forward Simone Tarver was racing to track down a long pass, trying to outrun the oncoming goalie to the ball. Both players arrived at about the same time, and the ball bounced away and trickled to the end line.
Tarver, who just missed getting a shot at an empty net, managed to track it down, but by then the defense had recovered.
“We do that,” Pitharoulis said wryly. “We’ll have some great opportunities and we don’t capitalize, and then we have that lucky one, that fortunate one, whatever word you want to use.
“I’ve been trying to tell them all year that we don’t shoot enough,” he said. “Our major goal is to get off as many shots as possible now, because you never know. You just never know what’s going to happen.”
The win improved Everett’s record to 12-5-3, which is a school girls soccer record for victories in a single season (the previous mark of 11 was set in 1993). Also, Brinster posted her 11th shutout (some of those shared), also a school record.
At Everett Memorial Stadium
Goals-Everett: Olsen. Goalkeepers-Everett: Brinster, Auburn Mountainview: Caban. Records-Everett 12-5-3. Auburn Mountainview 10-5-4.
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