EVERETT — The King’s girls soccer team was able to keep Archbishop Murphy on its heels in the first half of last week’s Cascade Conference matchup.
But the Wildcats found their legs late in the game, as junior Emma Nelson scored two goals to lead Archbishop Murphy to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory Oct. 5 at Archbishop Murphy High School.
The Knights took a 1-0 lead on a header by senior Laura Gifford 12 minutes into the contest and held that advantage until the 63rd minute when Nelson tied the score off an assist by Melissa VonderHofen.
Nelson then followed up with the game-winner 12 minutes later via a pass from Brittany Allen.
“It happened really fast,” Gifford said of the Wildcats’ comeback. “They just got some momentum. We didn’t counter it I guess. They scored a goal. … That was kind of the turning point. We didn’t really pick it up as much as we could have.”
Nelson agreed that the tying goal seemed to energize Archbishop Murphy, which struggled to control the ball in the first half.
“Sometimes we start a little slow,” Nelson said. “We get a goal and a lot of adrenalin (comes). That really helps us. … We were beginning to feel comfortable in the game.”
The Wildcats defeated the Knights 3-2 earlier in the season.
“Both games were really pretty even,” Gifford said. “Both teams are great teams. They’re aggressive at winning balls every time and not. They were not giving up. They were down for a while, but they kept pressuring.”
King’s dictated much of the action in the first half and had several scoring opportunities.
“The girls were intense,” King’s head coach Nicole Gabelein said. “They were winning the balls and going hard. I would say they created their own space. They were playing all out in the first half. They played a hard game.
“I’d say they played all out in the second half. We weren’t connecting quite as well as they have in the past.”
King’s likes to play the ball up the air with headers and long kicks, which is not Archbishop Murphy’s preferred style of play, Wildcats head coach Pat Jack said.
The Wildcats are more comfortable with quick passes and keeping the ball on the ground.
“We had trouble settling the ball,” Jack said. “We started doing the same kick back and forth thing that they do. That’s not our best. We work best when it’s flat on the ground and we have good passes. We kind of got off our stride.”
It took a while for Archbishop Murphy (7-1 in the league, 9-1 overall) to get back to its style of play.
“I think we kind of panicked a little bit and in the second half we did a better job of keeping our composure and playing a style that benefits us — keeping possession and keeping it on the ground,” Nelson said.
The Knights (5-3, 7-3) were far from discouraged after the loss. King’s remained in third place in the league.
“We’ll bounce back,” Gifford said. “We’ll learn from this. We’re definitely a contending team. I have no doubt about our team.”
Gifford played the previous three years with Meadowdale before King’s started its own girls soccer program this year.
Initially, Gifford was disappointed not to be playing for the Mavericks, but she soon changed her mind.
“I’ve been privileged to build the first King’s team,” Gifford said. “I’m really glad it happened. … It’s really cool to be able to play for my school.”
Gifford is one of three seniors on a squad that also has five freshmen. The wide age range hasn’t affective the Knights’ development as a team.
“It’s working out really well,” Gabelein said. “I would say they’ve come together for a first-year program. They’ve come together like they’ve been playing for the last 10 years together.”
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