ROCHESTER — A tight affair required a penalty kick session to determine a winner here on Tuesday as Centralia downed the Warriors 3-2 in 2A Evergreen Conference girls soccer play.
Rochester staked out an early lead when Sufina Ahmath punched in a score off an assist by Amerika Jones in the 10th minute. That goal allowed the Warriors to take a 1-0 advantage into the intermission.
After halftime, Centralia came out with a vengeance to claim the lead with goals by Rebekah Robbins and Hannah Robbins in the 42nd and 51st minutes, respectively.
“We played pretty good. There was a lot of stuff we’ve been working on in training that we saw on the field,” Centralia coach Henry Gallanger said. “We took some shots. It was a well fought game, both teams were working hard and playing hard.”
The Warriors were able to draw even in the 64th minute thanks to a goal by Megan Haury that came off of a corner kick from Ahmath.
Rochester was able to get off 17 shots, with seven of those on target, during regulation. Meanwhile, Centralia put up nine shots with six of those winding up on target.
In the penalty kick session Rebekah Robbins and Makiah Harris posted goals for the Tigers while Jones was the only Warrior to find the back net.
“I think the effort was there. They really put a good effort in. Not to make excuses but we were short some players,” said Rochester coach Robert McFadden. “The people subbing in did an admirable job but there are some holes that needed to be filled.”
McFadden said he especially liked the way his team passed the ball and used spacing on the pitch to their benefit.
“I think the understanding of where to put the ball and where they should be was good. Their execution just needs to be polished,” added McFadden.
Gallanger praised the play of goalkeeper Jimena Luis, playing well and making a big save in the shootout.
“It was a full all around good performance from our players, a total team effort,” Gallanger said. “We go in to defend, the backs and midfield did a good job and did a good job of moving forward.”
Rochester (1-7-1, 0-3) will host W.F. West on Thursday. Centralia (1-7-0, 1-2) hosts Tumwater on Thursday in an EvCo match.
Bearcats Best Black Hills For First Time in Five Years
W.F. West used a shutout defensive effort to defeat Black Hills for the first time in half a decade here in the Mint City on Tuesday. The Bearcats scored one goal in each half in order to secure the 2-0 victory in 2A Evergreen Conference girls soccer action.
“I was really, really proud of our girls and the intensity they brought tonight. We kind of had a down week last week. It definitely was not where we wanted to be after the first week,” said W.F. West coach Allen Anderson. “Black Hills is a very good program. This is the first time that we’ve beaten them in five years and I know they just came off a solid win over Centralia.”
Becca Deskins got the Bearcats rolling with a goal in the 15th minute that was assisted by Abbey Duffey. Then, in the 49th minute, Cameron Sheets got in on the scoring with an assist from Madi Mencke.
W.F. West put up eight shots in the game while Black Hills managed just four shots. Bearcats goalie Aeryn Elder was able to keep the Wolves off the scoreboard all night with the help of the rest of the W.F. West defense.
“I’m really, really proud of our defense for stepping up tonight. Cassy Schilter really played well for us in the middle,” added Anderson. “All around, it was definitely our best team performance of the season and that’s definitely needed when you go up against a tough opponent like Black Hills.”
W.F. West (6-2-1) will play at Rochester on Thursday.
Tenino Blanks Forks 14-0
TENINO — The Beavers scored 10 goals in the first half to cruise to a 14-0 win in a 1A Evergreen League girls soccer game here on Tuesday.
Tenino’s Megan Letts started the scoring in the fourth minute on an assist by Grace Vestal. Vestal scored in the ninth minute on an assist by Brieanna Dell and Alivia Hunter scored in the 11th minute on another assist by Dell on a corner kick.
Letts scored her second goal of the night in the 16th minute and Dell tallied her first of the night in the 17th minute, with both goals assisted by Vestal.
Morgan Miner scored in the 18th minute on an assist by Ashley Schow. Letts scored in the 22nd minute on an assist by Miner and Schow scored unassisted in the 26th minute. Emma Barr scored in the 30th minute and added another goal in the 36th minute on an assist from Iris Campesino for the 10-goal lead at intermission.
Schow scored again in the 42nd minute off of a corner kick by Dell and Dell scored her second of the night in the 45th minute on an assist from Abby Severse. Cheyenne Rossow scored in the 52nd minute on an assist from Molly Craig and Kami Oliviera scored the final goal of the night on an assist by Rossow.
The Beavers had 37 shots while Forks was unable to fire a shot at Tenino’s net.
“I thought we played well. We want to worry about ourselves, play our game and improve every time out. We tried out a new formation today It paid some dividends, scored six goals the rest of the first half when we went to that formation,” Tenino coach Kevin Schultz said. “We’re more offensive minded, it helps us to push numbers forward. I thought we did that really well. Megan Letts had a really good game. She was out for a few games and she didn’t get her first start until league started. She made three of (shots) at the top of the 18 where we want her to take (shots) from.”
Tenino was able to rest their starters for most of the second half. The Beavers (8-0-1, 3-0) travel to Hoquiam on Wednesday for a league game.
