TACOMA — For the fourth time in the past five playoff seasons, the Port Angeles girls soccer team is headed to the State 2A Tournament.
Bouncing back from a first-round loss to Enumclaw that put the Roughriders in a do-or-die situation, Port Angeles won two straight, including a 4-1 win over a 13-2 Lindbergh team Saturday to send the girls to state.
The Riders qualified for state in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021. There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Coach Scott Moseley was most proud that his team qualified for state after a sluggish 3-3 start to the season.
“We won 10 out of our last 11 games. It’s the biggest turnaround I’ve ever been a part of,” Moseley said.
He pointed out that some of those wins were over powerhouses such as North Kitsap, Bainbridge and Lindbergh. That winning streak also included eight straight shutouts.
The Riders (13-4-0) were given a No. 15 seed and will next play Tuesday at No. 2 seed Burlington-Edison (16-2-1) in the opening round of the state tournament.
Saturday’s win
Bailee Larson opened the scoring for the Riders with a goal in the 20th minute with an assist to Mia Gagnon. It was Larson’s team-leading 14th goal of the season.
Lindbergh scored an equalizer in the 33rd minute, but just before the half in the 38th minute, Teagan Clark scored unassisted on a 25-yard free kick.
Moseley said that goal was huge.
“It was really important. We had dominated the game and we allowed them a soft goal. After that goal, we were much more relaxed at halftime,” Moseley said.
Larson scored quickly in the second half in the 47th minute with an assist to Catie Brown, giving the Riders a two-goal cushion. Brown scored her own goal in the 54th minute with an assist to Izzy Felton.
Moseley liked how his team responded after losing to Enumclaw.
“They’ve been pretty loose all season. The girls were stressed a little bit in that [Enumclaw] game. Against Olympic and Lindbergh, they were much more focused and weren’t overly hyped,” Moseley said.
Moseley was also proud of Brown, who nine months ago had to be carried off the field after a serious knee injury. Nine months later, she had a goal and an assist in a critical district playoff game and is leading the Riders in assists with eight.
Sammamish 3, Sequim 0
TACOMA — The Sequim soccer team’s playoff run came to a close Saturday with a 3-0 loss to Sammamish in a winner-to-state, loser-out match.
Coach Ken Garling said he was proud of what the Wolves accomplished this season, finishing third in the Olympic 2A League behind Port Angeles and North Kitsap, winning a playoff game at the bi-district tournament against Orting and coming within one game of qualifying for state.
“I think we surprised some people this year,” Garling said. “I thought when we started in the summer that we had a good core of girls. It impressed me how well they came together.”
In addition to going 11-5 on the season, the Wolves scored more than 50 goals.
The Wolves lose senior Hannah Wagner, one of the team’s leaders and top players. “She shows such tremendous effort and leadership,” Garling said.
But sophomore Taryn Johnson was a big revelation for the Wolves, scoring four hat tricks on the season, including a four-goal hat trick in one game. Sophomore midfielder Jennyfer Gomez will also be back.
“She’s another tremendous worker. She’s such a physical presence,” Garling said. He also said freshmen Ivy Barret and Libby Turella were big contributors this season on the back line and are a big part of the Wolves’ future.
