The road to the Northwest District 3A girls soccer tournament included an extra stop for the Shorecrest girls soccer team.

Or a dead end.

At the start of the season it was decided that the Western Conference’s two Class 3A teams would face their Cascade Conference counterparts in crossover playoff games. Only the winners receive district berths.

As a result of the new format, the Scots (7-1-1 league, 11-1-2 overall) were scheduled to host South Whidbey (6-4-0, 9-5-0) Thursday night in a loser-out contest. Lynnwood was paired with Cedarcrest in the other qualifier.

The winners were plugged into the eight-team district bracket along with the Northwest League’s top six teams.

With a victory over South Whidbey, the Scots would earn a No. 2 seed and host Ferndale in a first-round district game at 2 p.m. Oct. 30 at Shoreline Stadium. Remaining games are Nov. 1, 3 and 6 at Civic Stadium in Bellingham.

Shorecrest closed out the regular season Tuesday by topping Lynnwood 6-0. Five different players scored for the Scots, who charged to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes.

It was the fourth straight win for the Scots, who outscored their Wesco South opposition 31-8. Three of Shorecrest’s regular-season victories were decided by one goal.

“We’ve been on the winning end of some close games,” Scots coach Gary Harris said. “Our offense is clicking and our defense is solid. It’s been a fun season.”