SPOKANE VALLEY — Upstart Port Angeles couldn’t come up with the upset against unbeaten No. 1 West Valley (Spokane), falling 8-0 in the Class 2A state girls soccer tournament Tuesday at University High School.
The Roughriders (11-7) were hard-pressed to make any headway offensively against the Eagles (19-0), the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
“First [West Valley] are really good, we knew that, we watched film and knew they were a calm, cool team that never showed any panic,” coach Dan Horton said. “We knew it would take an all-out crazy night to beat them, so we went into it with the thought that we either shock the state like what happened to Fife [when the 2022 No. 1 seed was upset] or we stay in the mix and we learn what we need to do to come back to state next year.”
“And West Valley, they do a lot of things that we try and do, so we have some great film for figuring out things for next year.”
West Valley’s defense made short work of Port Angeles possessions and the Eagles were able to counterattack quickly and build up their offense in the final third.
“The season to me, this was a successful season,” Horton said. “We started six sophomores and a freshman in a state game and there’s no reason to be ashamed of the final score because they fought until the end.
Port Angeles will lose seniors Izzy Felton, Paige Mason and Maeve Croteau, but the Riders bring back 11 varsity sophomores and freshmen.
“We don’t just make our seniors captains, but that’s how it worked out with these three,” Horton said. “They took it upon themselves to bring the younger girls in and use their leadership, their skill and their commitment to build them up. We only lose three, but these three will feel like more to replace.”
This was the eighth trip to state for the Port Angeles girls soccer program and fifth appearance since 2016.
