STEILACOOM — Steilacoom pounced on a loose ball just after halftime, scoring on a deflection after Port Angeles goalkeeper Kennedy Rognlien got a hand on the ball during a one-on-one breakaway.
The Roughriders couldn’t find the equalizer and fell 1-0 in a winner-to-state, loser-out Class 2A West Central District girls soccer match at Steilacoom High School on Thursday.
“We didn’t take care of the ball in the middle, there was a miss hit from the back line, a weird ball,” coach Daniel Horton said. “And their best player is their striker, she’s small and fast, and she got a running start and she won in a foot race. Kennedy did a great job, a diving attempt and got her hand on it, but with the spin on it, it went in. But that was a great attempt on a breakaway.”
Horton said the Riders played and stayed steady emotionally.
“We played consistently the whole game, not a lot of peaks and valleys,” Horton said. “But that consistency wasn’t our normal type of play. We had an emotional game against Bainbridge [on Tuesday], our best game of the season, and the girls tried, they battled, we looked like a team putting their all into keeping their season alive.”
The Riders finished the season 9-9 overall, 8-6 in the Olympic League.
“We showed improvement, once we started putting some things together we proved we could be a contender in league. Saw improvement from freshmen through senior at every position. And seeing how the girls reacted after the last two losses, they are going to be hungry for next year.”
The team loses Ava-Anne Sheahan and Zoe Ernst.
“Zoe Ernst as well, she was a first-year player, but I wish we could have had her all four years,” Horton said.
“Ava-Anne played varsity all four years. “She stepped onto the field as a freshman and was expected to be a dynamic player and she became better every year. A captain this year, everybody loved playing with her and we knew what we were going to get from her as coaches. Center back is a big hole to fill, but we have players on the roster that can step up and try.”
