Looking for its first win of the season, the Centralia girls soccer team faltered late and fell in a penalty shootout to Shelton Thursday night.
The Tigers (0-6) came out strong, striking first in the 11th minute when senior defender Riley Babka found the back of the net to put them ahead. The first half came and went, and early in the second, Anahi Corona doubled Centralia’s lead in the 46th minute with a goal of her own.
But after two goals from Shelton, the 56th and 74th minutes to tie it up, and a scoreless 10 minutes of extra time, the Highclimbers (1-4-1) were able to come all the way back and win in a penalty shootout, 4-3.
“We’re young,” Tigers coach Henry Gallanger said. “Our young girls are working hard on the field. It’s learning, learning when they need to recover and rest in the game action and learning when they need to go after it 100%.”
Though Centralia is still looking for its first win of the season, Gallanger said there were a lot of positives to take from the game Thursday night. The Tigers were able to control momentum for most of the first 50 minutes, and record a season-high for goals scored.
Perhaps more importantly, they have new things to work on that they hadn’t experienced before, heading into a rare penalty shootout.
“We’re just working on continuing to grow and continuing to get better,” Gallanger said. “On the flip side of this, there were a lot of good things today, there were just some mental breakdowns and we’re not usually in this position. Now they know the little things they have to focus on in these situations.”
The Tigers will head out to Tumwater next on Tuesday before taking on Rochester on the road on Thursday.
Abby Severse recorded a hat trick, Alivia Hunter scored twice, and the Tenino girls soccer team remains unbeaten.
Leading from start to finish, the Beavers routed Columbia (White Salmon) on the road, 7-0.
“I was surprised, they didn’t play the way they did on film,” Tenino coach Kevin Schultz said. “We did a good job as coaches of pumping up the game and making sure our players were focused and ready for the game. We were ready to get going and ready to get after them.”
The Beavers (6-0) got going immediately, after Hunter received a perfect corner from Megan Letts and put the back through the back of the net for the opening score. Two more scores from Severse, and another from Kami Oliveira saw the Beavers up 4-0 at halftime.
“It was a great goal from Kami,” Schultz said. “It gives us even more weapons when we can bring players off the bench who have the ability to score.”
Tenino went back to its bread and butter in the second half, though. Hunter found the back of the net again from about 40 yards out in the 44th, and six minutes later Severse picked up her third goal and her first career varsity hat trick. Letts’ penalty kick goal in the 54th minute was the icing on the cake for the Beavers.
Trinity Tafoya finished with just one save, but Schultz commended his keeper for staying engaged while not facing many shots in Tenino’s first six games.
“Trinity does a good job of seeing the game and telling her back line what’s coming,” he said. “She’ll kill attacks before they get started.”
The goalkeeper will almost certainly see more action next Tuesday, when the Beavers open up league play against rival Montesano on the road at 8 p.m.
Tumwater’s Cierra Larson recorded a brace and Rochester found no offensive rhythm in an 8-0 defeat at home to Tumwater on Thursday.
First-half goals from Cierra Larson, Emmalyn Shaffer, Ava Jones and Lucy Bergford put the Thunderbirds up 4-0 at the half. Makayla McGilvrey, Ainsley Wall, Isabella Lund and Larson each scored in the second half to close out the scoring.
“Tough schedule the last three games,” Rochester coach Ken Matthews said. “We kept playing hard right to the end tonight.”
Kaylei Clark, Amerika Jones and Sofie Sand were named the Warrriors’ Women of the Match.
Rochester (0-6) travels to Shelton on Tuesday. Tumwater (5-0) hosts Camas on Saturday.
