Vikings upset Mount Vernon

By DAN SARGENT

Herald Writer

MOUNT VERNON – The Lake Stevens Vikings upset the top-seeded Mount Vernon Bulldogs 2-1 in the Class 3A Northwest District girls soccer playoffs on Tuesday night, capturing their first state playoff berth in school history.

The Bulldogs had everything working for them early: the crowd, the slick home field at Mount Vernon High School, and most of all knowing they hadn’t given up a goal at home all season long.

The Bulldogs struck first in the 33rd minute when Wendy Hugo kicked the ball from 18 yards out to beat the Vikings’ goalkeeper at the far post.

Mount Vernon led at halftime 1-0 in a control, ball movement game.

“You know that feeling at the pit of you stomach, that playoff intensity and I love that feelinig,” assistant Viking coach Andy Knutson said at halftime.

The second half was a whole different game from the first. Ball control went out the window and the game turned into a track meet. Both teams went up and down the field as hard as they could, setting up scoring chances.

The Vikings scored first in the second half after junior Amy Carnell was taken out by the Bulldog keeper Kathryn Leonard, setting up a penalty kick in the 48th minute. Carnell drove the ball low and to the left side, beating Leonard for a 1-1 tie. The goal was the first goal the Bulldogs had allowed on its home field all season.

The Vikings struck again in the 60th minute when senior Sarah Kruse passed a through ball to the sliding Carnell, who put it under the diving Leonard for a 2-1 Vikings’ lead with 20 minutes to play.

The Bulldogs’ chances grew fewer and fewer as the time ticked away and Vikings goalkeeper Maegan Simnowitz made save after save.

“She always pulls through for us,” Kruse said of Simnowitz.

“Mandy Brookes played a great game for us containing their leading scorer,” Knutson said.

The Vikings will play Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mount Vernon High School against Meadowdale to determine first and second place seedings going into the state playoffs.