League playoff seeds are starting to take shape as we review Tuesday’s girls prep soccer games on the Harbor.
GIRLS PREP SOCCER
Montesano 2, Eatonville 0
Montesano all but locked up the 1A Evergreen League with a 2-0 win over Eatonville on Tuesday in Eatonville.
The Bulldogs (10-2-2 overall, 6-0 1A Evergreen) got a goal in each half and recorded their fourth consecutive shutout to beat Eatonville (7-4, 3-2), which had won four straight games entering Tuesday’s matchup.
“They’ve been winning. They were determined, motivated and confident and it’s always tough to play a team like that,” Montesano head coach Fidel Sanchez said of the Cruisers. “The girls executed our game plan well. … We had some really good build-up play. It was beautiful soccer.”
Montesano freshman Jaelyn Butterfield scored a goal in the second half for a Bulldogs team that hasn’t missed a beat despite being without key starters Mikayla Stanfield and Addi Kersker.
“Young players are stepping up,” Sanchez said, citing the play of underclassmen Macey Sanchez, Mary Campbell and Izzy Taylor, to name a few. “All these young players are doing such a great job … And then you have the veterans like my goal keeper Riley Timmons, Carsyn Wintrip, Bethanie Henderson and Sam Roundtree. They are shining right now.”
Timmons earned the clean sheet as the Bulldogs defense have allowed just two goals over its past eight games.
Montesano all but secured the league title as a two-game lead over Elma with two games left on its league schedule, at home at 7 p.m. Thursday against Elma and at Olympic Stadium to take on a one-win Hoquiam team next Wednesday.
A win in either of those games, and the league title belongs to Montesano.
Montesano 1 1 – 2
Eatonville 0 0 – 0
Elma 8, Tenino 0
Elma’s offense scored six goals in the second half in an 8-0 rout of Tenino on Tuesday at Elma High School.
The Eagles (11-3, 4-2 1A Evergreen) got a hat trick from senior midfielder Aaleigha Weld and moved into a tie for the league’s No. 2 spot with the Senior Night victory.
Weld scored in the third minute off a feed from junior forward Beta Valentine, who scored the Eagles’ second goal of the first half off an assist from midfielder Miley Seaberg.
After Eagles head coach Evan Valentine made a few strategic adjustments at the break, the Eagles offense exploded for six goals in the second half to put the Beavers (7-7-1, 1-5) away.
Weld scored on a give-and-go with Valentine just three minutes into the half with Weld returning the favor to Valentine for a 4-0 lead in the 49th minute.
Two goals by Seaberg – one being a penalty kick – followed by a goal from junior forward Valerie Echeverria gave Elma a 7-0 lead.
Weld completed the hat trick when she deflected a Valentine corner kick off her body and into the net for an 8-0 lead in the final minute of the game.
Coach Valentine said his team had a different feeling to it on Senior Night.
“We were kind of ready to play. We had that vibe with us. I could just kind of feel it,” he said. “I think we had something bigger to play for than ourselves. That was good for us and I thought we did a really good job.”
With the win and Eatonville’s loss to Montesano, the Eagles are now tied with the Cruisers for second place in the 1A Evergreen League.
“I hope that we are peaking at a good time,” Coach Valentine said. “We’ve had some good performances lately coming off that tough week we had. I think we are playing well. We are moving the ball well.”
Elma faces Montesano at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Montesano before facing off against the Cruisers in what could be a battle for second place on Monday in Eatonville.
Tenino 0 0 – 0
Elma 2 6 – 8
Scoring
First half – 1, Elma, Weld (Valentine), 3rd minute. 2, Elma, Valentine (Seaberg), 29th minute.
Second half – 3, Elma, Weld (Valentine), 43rd minute. 4, Elma, Valentine (Weld), 49th minute. 5, Elma, Seaberg (Echeverria), 51st minute. 6, Elma, Seaberg, 56th minute. 7, Elma, Echeverria (Valentine), 68th minute. 8, Elma, Weld (Valentine), 80th minute.
Aberdeen 3, Rochester 0
Aberdeen kept itself in contention for one of the 2A Evergreen Conference’s top playoff spots with a 3-0 win over Rochester on Tuesday in Aberdeen.
The Bobcats (7-5, 6-3 2A Evergreen) got a big game from senior forward Annie Troeh, who recorded a hat trick with three goals in the first half.
Troeh gave the Cats an early lead when she took a long pass from defender Esmerelda Vega and beat the keeper on a tough-angled shot from 15 yards away five minutes into the game.
Six minutes later, Aberdeen doubled its lead when a ball was worked up from midfielder Delaney Shoemaker to senior midfielder Zoe Troeh, who sent a through pass to her twin sister Annie for a 2-0 lead.
Later in the the first half, Aberdeen winger Miley Anderson dropped the ball into Annie Troeh, who chipped the ball over the keeper from 20 yards out, completing the hat trick and Aberdeen’s 3-0 first half.
Aberdeen subbed players in frequently in the second half and had several good scoring chances – including a shot off the post from Zoeh Troeh – but was unable to add to its lead.
Cats keeper Jaylynn Phimmasone easily dispatched any Warriors scoring chances to earn her fourth shutout of the season.
“Much improved effort from our first game (against Rochester) and was pleased with our quick start and how we won the ball with intensity tonight,” said Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming, who commended senior Maddy Marlow, sweeper Lila Erickson and defensive midfielder Scotlyn Lecomte for their performances in the match.
The win combined with W.F. West’s 1-0 win over Centralia on Tuesday creates a log jam in the EvCo standings. Aberdeen sits a half-game ahead of both Centralia and W.F. West for second place in the league standings.
Aberdeen plays at first-place Tumwater at 7 p.m. Thursday before closing out the regular season with league games against Shelton and Centralia next week.
Rochester 0 0 – 0
Aberdeen 3 0 – 3
Scoring
First half – 1, Aberdeen, A. Troeh (Vega), 5th minute. 2, Aberdeen, A. Troeh (Z. Troeh), 11th minute. 3, Aberdeen, A. Troeh (Anderson), 34th minute.
Second half – None.
