TACOMA — The Roughriders boys’ soccer squad got an overtime golden goal from Andrew Methner, his second of the game, to get past Highline 2-1 to grab the fifth seed in the West Central District III 2A Tournament at Franklin Pierce High School.
With Saturday’s win, the Riders will play Sehome in the first round of the State 2A Soccer Tournament, day and time still to be determined.
Meanwhile, the Sequim Wolves lost their first match of the year, as Fife squeaked past them 1-0 in penalty kicks in the WCD III championship match Saturday night. The Wolves are a No. 2 seed and will host Woodland at Peninsula College in the first round of the state tournament either Tuesday or Wednesday.
If Sequim and Port Angeles each win their 2A state openers, they will play each other in the second round for the third time this season. Sequim won both earlier meetings by one goal.
Back to the Port Angeles game, Andrew Methner got the Roughriders on the board early, scoring in just the second minute on an assist from his brother Stuart.
After that goal, Andrew Methner was forced to leave the game after getting hit in the face and Highline seized the momentum.
“The Pirates [began] to control the midfield midway through the second half when Andrew Methner left the field for 15 to 20 minutes with a bloody nose and the Pirates brought in a couple starters that had previously been on the bench,” said Riders coach Chris Saari.
Saari said keeper Anton Kathol “came up big on several long range shots that he was able to tip wide and over the cross bar to keep the Riders in the lead.” Kathol ended the match with nine saves.
The Pirates scored a controversial goal in the 69th minute on a play that Saari thought was offsides.
In the 88th minute, the Riders broke the tie when, according to Saari, “Austin Fischer played a clever pass into Andrew St. George centrally. St. George chipped the ball to the middle and Stuart Methner flicked the ball on to Andrew Methner.
“Andrew Methner brought the ball down in behind the defense and scored with his right foot across his body to the far post,” according to Saari.
“I’m proud of the boys because it was a team effort. Stuart and Andrew St. George put me in the positions that allowed me to score the goals I did. Right now I’m just looking forward to the first state game. We have to stay focused and work hard,” Andrew Methner said.
Stuart Methner had two assists in the match. Saari named Stuart and Andrew his offensive players of the match.
Saari thought that Hollund Bailey was strong at the back for the Riders “winning a lot of balls out of the air and serving good balls off set pieces.” He named Bailey and Kathol his defensive players of the match and St. George his transition player of the match.
Shots were fairly even, with Highline getting off 17 shots to Port Angeles’ 16.
Fife 1, Sequim 0, Penalty Kicks
TACOMA — The Wolves had a number of chances to get past Fife, but in the end, the ball simply wouldn’t find its way into the net, not even on penalty kicks.
“Overall, we had the better chances,” said coach Dave Brasher. Sequim missed a penalty shot in the first 10 minutes when Matthys Tanche was taken down in the penalty box. Also, Adrian Funston got off a solid shot that just went wide. And a couple of headers “just missed inches wide,” Brasher said.
The game ended in regulation tied 0-0.
Wolves’ goalkeeper Navy Thomas-Brenske made a save on Fife’s first penalty shot which got the Wolves fired up, Brasher said. But, the Wolves hadn’t gone to penalty shots all year and Brasher said they didn’t do very well on their shots as Funston then hit the bar on his shot and Sequim ended up going 0 for 3 on penalty kicks.
“Penalty kicks can be contagious,” Brasher said.
Brasher said the good that can come out of a loss like this is to remind the Wolves’ players “how lousy it is to lose. Maybe it’ll be a good thing. We really did want the district championship.”
Woodland (12-4-2) is set as the Wolves’ (15-1-2) first-round opponent and the venue will be Peninsula College. Brasher said the game will be either Tuesday or Wednesday and likely 7:30 p.m. Check online at www.peninsuladailynews.com and in Tuesday’s sports section as the day and time of the game are set. If Port Angeles and Sequim both win, their first-round matches, the second-round game between the two teams could be at Peninsula College, too.
United 7, Forks 0
VANCOUVER — The Forks boys were overwhelmed by the heat and an undefeated Toledo/Winlock United team in a 7-0 loss in the Southwest District 4 1A soccer tournament.
The Spartans don’t get to be district championship, but the are still going to the state 1A tournament as a No. 2 seed. They begin their state tournament run by playing a tough Klahowya team at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Forks.
The Spartans got down 6-0 after the first half to United in Saturday’s game. United, made up of players from both Toledo and Winlock, has an outstanding won-loss record of 15-0-4 and had wins of 13-0, 12-0, 10-1, 9-0 and 8-0 this season.
“It was really hot. I hate to use that as an excuse,” said coach Joe Morton. But, he did think it was a factor for Forks, used to playing in cool weather.
Morton said that after the Spartans got down 6-0, he asked him team what they could clean up at halftime. He said the boys went out and played evenly with United after that, allowing just one goal and getting some good scoring chances.
“We made their goalie work a bit, so that’s something positive to take away,” he said.
Morton also reminded his players, “You play next week, so chins up.”
Forks (13-5-0) and Klahowya (11-4-4) have a common opponent — Port Townsend. Port Townsend beat Forks 4-0 this year and lost three times to Klahowya, with all three games decided by one goal. So, the Spartans know they have their work cut out for them
Softball
Quilcene 24, Rainier Christian 11
Quilcene 20, Kingston 12
QUILCENE — The Rangers softball team locked up an undefeated Sea-Tac 1B championship by beating Rainier Christian 24-11. They followed up with a 20-12 nonleague win this weekend over Kingston.
Madison and Natalie Coffey combined for seven RBI, and McKenzie Kieffer continued her hot hitting with two RBIs and three runs scored. In the circle, Kayla Ward picked up her ninth win on the season by going 4 2/3 innings, yielding four earned runs. Natalie Coffey relieved Ward in the fourth and pitched an 1 1/3 innings.
Shelby Love also contributed with a two-run RBI double. An eight-run third inning was highlighted by a two-run single by Megan Jones.
“Tough game to pitch today, hot and windy, dust swirling everywhere, but Kayla and Natalie got through it. Our offense really picked them up today,” said coach Mark Thompson.
The Rangers wrapped up their regular with a 20-12 win over class 2A Kingston, avenging an earlier loss to the Bucs in March. McKenzie Kieffer finished an outstanding week at the plate with a 4-5 effort, including two extra-base hits and five RBIs.
“McKenzie had been quietly putting up great numbers, numbers that are now impossible to overlook. She is having an excellent season,” Thompson said.
Quilcene staked out a 7-0 lead in the second inning, but Kingston battled back the entire game, staying within three or four runs until the seventh inning.
“Both teams hit the ball well today, but thankfully we were able to make a couple more plays, and Natalie came in to pitch and shut them down in the end,” Thompson said.
The Rangers’ five-run second inning was highlighted by a two-run single by Brittney Beukes, and an RBI double by Natalie Coffey. In the fifth, McKenzie Kieffer’s two-run double helped Quilcene once again extend its lead.
In the sixth inning, after Kingston had plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth, Madison Coffey hit an RBI triple, but was thrown out at the plate trying to extend to a home run. The Rangers scored four runs in the 7th inning to finally put Kingston away.
Kayla Ward pitched 4 1/3 innings for the win (10-1), giving up nine earned runs on eight hits.
“Kayla has pitched a ton this week, but she has been tough. Everybody is excited about the season she has had pitching,” Thompson said. Natalie Coffey pitched the last 2 2/3 innings and recorded a save, giving up 2 earned runs. She also pitched a scoreless seventh.
Quilcene begins postseason play at the 1B District 2/4 tournament Thursday at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
Quilcene 24, Rainier Christian 11
Quil. 2 7 8 1 6 — 24 15 1
RC 0 2 1 3 5 — 11 6 3
Pitching
Quilcene — Ward 4.2IP, 4ER, 4H, 1K; N. Coffey 1.1IP, 6ER, 2H.
Hitting
Quilcene — Beukes 2-4, RBI; M. Coffey 2-2, 2B, 3RBI; N. Coffey 2-3, 4 RBI; McKenzie Kieffer 2-4, 2RBI; Scholz 2-5, 2RBI; Love 1-2, 2B, 2RBI; McCarthy 2-5; McBride 1-2, RBI
Quilcene 20, Kingston 12
Quil. 2 5 0 2 4 3 4 — 20 13 2
Kingston 0 1 3 2 4 2 0 — 12 10 5
WP: LP:
Pitching
Quilcene — Ward 4.1IP; 9ER, 8H, 1K; N. Coffey 2.2IP; 2ER, 1H, 3Ks.
Hitting
Quilcene — Beukes 2-3, 3RBI, 5R; M. Coffey 2-3, 3B, 2RBI; N. Coffey 2-4, 2B, 3RBI; McKenzie Kieffer 4-5, 2 2B; 5RBI; McCarthy 2-3, 2B, 4R; Savannah McBride 1-4, RBI.
