ARLINGTON
If Lakewood High School sophomore defender Kennedy Bonnallie was old enough to purchase a lottery ticket, Oct. 21 would’ve been the time to do it.
Bonnallie scored the match-tying goal with mere seconds remaining on the clock in regulation and converted the decisive penalty kick as Lakewood defeated Archbishop Murphy 2-1 (6-5 on penalty kicks) for its second Cascade Conference shootout win over the Wildcats this season.
Bonnallie, who admitted fault for Archbishop Murphy’s opening goal in the 47th minute, lofted a high-arching shot from near the right touchline in second-half stoppage time that snuck into the far corner of the goal over the outstretched arms of Wildcats goalkeeper Morgan Duffy.
“I was crossing my fingers the whole time (the ball was in the air),” Bonnallie said with a laugh. “I did everything to get (the Murphy) goal back. I told myself I was going to get a goal.”
The sophomore converted the winning penalty kick, but the match might not have reached spot kicks had it not been for Lakewood junior goalkeeper Miranda Head.
Archbishop Murphy (11-2 league, 13-2-0 overall) senior forward Caroline Brawner drew a penalty kick in the second overtime period after being taken down in the box.
Katie Corbett stepped up to take the kick, but Head dove to her right for the game-preserving save.
“It’s the game,” Archbishop Murphy head coach Eddie Fernandez said. “(Lakewood) kept playing hard to the end. The game is a full 80 minutes, it’s not 78 or 79 and that’s the reason they’re winning the league championship. They keep fighting hard, they’ve been in a few tough games this year and they’ve got the maturity and experience to keep going hard until the end.”
Shelby Koch gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute when she was able to shoulder Bonnallie off a ball and beat Head from close range with a low drive to the far post.
“I thought we created opportunities,” Fernandez said. “Sometimes the game is what it is and the ball doesn’t go in the back of the net.”
Archbishop Murphy threatened several more times in the second half, but Lakewood (13-0, 14-0-1) held its form defensively.
Despite not creating many strong scoring opportunities, the Cougars caught a stroke of luck in the waning seconds.
“We’ve only been down a couple times this season and we’ve been able to come back and get ties,” Lakewood head coach Jeremiah Wohlgemuth said. “We pushed (Bonnallie) all the way up from defense and just overloaded and tried to get anything on goal.”
Undefeated this season when the match heads to penalty kicks and 8-2 over the last two years, Lakewood’s Head — a three-year starter — made just one save as Archbishop Murphy missed three attempts in the shootout. Duffy made one save and Lakewood missed two shots before Bonnallie netted the winner.
With one game remaining on the conference slate, Lakewood — picked to finish sixth by Cascade Conference coaches in a preseason poll — is in the driver’s seat for a league championship.
“It’s nice to be the snake in the grass, laying in wait,” Wohlgemuth said. “Halfway through the season we got the target on our back and played with a bit of pressure. Now we’re clicking on all cylinders.”
Mark Nelson writes for the Herald in Everett.
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