Aberdeen and Elma earned league victories as we review Tuesday’s girls prep soccer games on the Harbor.
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GIRLS PREP SOCCER
Aberdeen 1, Shelton 0
Aberdeen entered Tuesday’s 2A Evergreen Conference matchup against Shelton in desperate need of a league victory after suffering three-straight shutout losses.
A penalty-kick goal by sophomore defender Hana Lessard was just the medicine Aberdeen needed as the Bobcats earned a 1-0 victory at Stewart Field.
“It was really exciting,” Lessard said of her game-winner, a perfectly-place shot just inside the right post for a goal in the 57th minute of the game. “We’ve been on a losing streak, so we’ve been a little bit down, I’d say. But once we got that goal, we got a little fired up.”
The goal was the first for Aberdeen (5-4-1 overall, 1-3 2A Evergreen) since an own goal late in the second half led to a 3-2 win over Olympic on Sept. 20.
Since then, the Bobcats have lost three straight to Tumwater (4-0), Centralia (1-0) and W.F. West (2-0) and were in desperate need of a win if they are too keep any hopes of postseason play alive.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen forward Shay Dunlap (4) pushes into the Shelton final third while defended by Highclimbers midfielder Amaya Carrion during the Bobcats’ 1-0 win on Tuesday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.
Throughout the first half on Tuesday, Aberdeen had the better, more frequent chances deep into the Shelton final third of the pitch.
Aberdeen’s attack was led by the likes of senior midfielder Miley Anderson, junior midfielder Nataly Barragan Salazar and sophomore forward Shay Dunlap. The young Cats came up empty in the first half as the finishing touch proved elusive.
A foul was called against Shelton (1-7-1, 0-4) after an Aberdeen counter-attack sent several Bobcats attackers streaking toward the Shelton 18-yard box, as the Highclimbers struggled to clear the ball.
Lessard, who had been one of the better ball-handlers in the game from her defensive center-back position, was called upon by head coach Larry Fleming to take the penalty shot.
“I’m just thinking, ‘Shoot it in the corner where the goalie can’t save it,’” Lessard said. “I was staring at the left though, to make the goalie think I was going left.”’
“Hanna had a great free kick that just missed the crossbar in the first half and took a really good PK. We needed that,” Fleming said. “And good for her because she had one blocked earlier in the season, so it’s a lot of pressure to go back and do it again.”
Shelton nearly tied the game on a long shot that deflected off the corner of the cross bar with just over five minutes left in the game.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Nataly Barragan Salazar (8) sends the ball forward while defended by Shelton’s Kya Cline during the Bobcats’ 1-0 win on Tuesday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.
The Highclimbers had another chance on a free kick from midfielder Kya Cline from 34 yards out. Cline’s high-arcing attempt was on goal, but Aberdeen freshman goal keeper Xela Kowoosh made the save to preserve the lead.
Aberdeen was able to prevent any additional dangerous chances from the Shelton offense to secure the 1-0 win.
“I think it’s going to get us fired up for the rest of the season,” Lessard said of the victory. “We’re going to try to get a winning streak now.”
For his young team that is already down multiple players due to injury, Fleming said many of his new players are getting thrown into the fire and learning how to play varsity-level soccer on the fly.
“It didn’t get by me that we’ve been shut out for three games in a row, but it’s no surprise. We played some better teams than we did in the preseason and you only have a few opportunities (to score) instead of a lot,” he said. “This game, I felt like we really dominated and created a bunch of good chances.”
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen midfielder Miley Anderson (3) makes a play on a corner kick during a 1-0 win over Shelton on Tuesday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.
Bobcats junior goal keeper Anni Devine played the first half with Kowoosh in the second half to share the clean-sheet shutout.
Aberdeen’s JV team played Shelton’s JV to a scoreless tie on Tuesday.
Macey Wallin and Ana Lopez were commended by the Bobcats coaching staff for their performances.
Aberdeen plays at Black Hills at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Black Hills High School.
Shelton 0 0 – 0
Aberdeen 0 1 – 1
Scoring
First half – none.
Second half – 1, Aberdeen, Lessard, 57th minute.
Elma 1, Hoquiam 0
One goal turned out to be the difference in an evenly-played match as Elma defeated Hoquiam 1-0 on Tuesday at Davis Field in Elma.
The Eagles (3-7, 1-2 1A Evergreen) and Grizzlies (0-8-2, 0-3) played to a scoreless first half as both teams had their opportunities to score.
It wasn’t until Elma standout sophomore midfielder Mikayla Roberts hit a hard, high shot that swung toward the top of the net in the second half that things changed.
Hoquiam goal keeper Emily Brodhead leaped to get a hand on the ball, but Roberts’ shot found the net for a 1-0 lead approximately 55 minutes into the game.
“That’s two wins in a row for us, which is great. … It was needed,” said Elma head coach Evan Valentine, whose team picked up a league win for the first time this season. “I wished more opportunities could have developed into more goals. But at the end of the day, 1-0 is the same as 9-0. It’s three points for us. … We won and we had to and we did it. That’s ultimately all that matters.”
The Grizzlies were led by senior defender Meribel Mazariegos, who was credited by the Hoquiam coaching staff for stopping multiple counter-attacks and “keeping our defense organized and compact” and for “picking up players when they seemed to be down on themselves.”
“This game could of went either way. It was a brutal game, girls flying everywhere on both teams. We kept our heads even when things got bad or didn’t go our way,” Hoquiam head coach Pedro Weber Cruz said. “We look forward to playing Elma again this season, but this time at our home field.”
Hoquiam hosts Rochester at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Elma hosts league-leading Montesano at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Hoquiam 0 0 – 0
Elma 0 1 – 1
Scoring
First half – none.
Second half – 1, Elma, Roberts, 55th minute.
