The Archbishop Murphy girls soccer team is headed back to the state semifinals for the ninth straight year.
The Wildcats beat Cedarcrest 2-0 in a Class 2A quarterfinal game Nov. 14 at Cedarcrest High School. Archbishop Murphy faces Sehome, who they beat 2-1 in a shootout in the district finals, at 8 p.m, Friday, Nov. 20 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
“We’re excited to go forward and give it our best shot,” senior Lindsey Bos said.
Tasha Pabisz scored both goals as Archbishop Murphy improved to 21-0 overall. Bos assisted on the first goal in the 33nd minute and Sam Pettinger had the assist on the second goal at the 53rd minute.
“We had really good chemistry in the last game,” Bos said. “We really played the ball on the ground and played as a team.”
Wildcats coach Dick Henderson was pleased to see his team beat the Red Wolves for the fourth time this season. He noted that typically games tend to be closer the more two teams face each other.
Archbishop Murphy’s level of play in game four stayed strong.
“We not only won the game, we played really well,” Henderson said. “We had a couple of other good (scoring) chances.”
Pabisz made two strong runs on each of the goals.
“Each time she had a good shot to the inside of the far post,” Henderson said. “They were nice goals. They were well struck. They were just the kind of goals that made you feel you’re doing the right thing as a team.”
Added Bos, “Tasha has a lot of speed. She’s been doing great this season. We’re excited she got those two in.”
Sehome should be a good challenge as the Wildcats look to win their second state championship.
“Their strength is most evident up and down the middle,” Henderson said. “They have a good, effective sweeper. They have a good central midfielder. They have a good forward.”
In the district championship game, Archbishop Murphy controlled more of the action, said Henderson, who added that the Mariners didn’t have as many shots as the Wildcats but they cashed in on what they had.
Henderson has seen his team raise its level of play throughout the district and now the state tournament.
“We’ve kind of stepped it up to another level in district play,” he said. “You have to raise your level of play at state.”
The Wildcats are veterans when it comes to playing in the final four.
“We know what to expect,” Bos said. “Going into the state semifinals teams are going to be really good. There’s a lot of pressure. You have to come out and play really hard and not let the nerves get to you.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
