TENINO — For the seventh straight state year, the Onalaska Loggers are state-tournament bound.
The Loggers punched their ticket in Tenino on Saturday, topping Adna 2-0 in the 2B District 4 Tournament Third-Place Game, just two days after falling in the district semifinals.
“It’s tough when you have a game you think you can win, then you don’t,” Onalaska coach Christopher Van Clifford said. “They were ready to go. I was excited for their ability to just come back, play hard, and get the job done.”
Both of Onalaska’s goals came late in the first half.
In the 40th minute, Greta Oien split a pair of Adna defenders, and though her initial shot was saved, she was able to put home the rebound to open the scoring.
In stoppage time, Kaiyah Sandridge took a free kick from outside the box, and though it didn’t reach the net on the fly, it took a generous bounce off the black turf and into the net to make it 2-0.
“There’s little moments in the game where things happen just like you practice,” Van Clifford said. “It’s really chaotic a lot of the time. They’re trying, and they’re trying, and then eventually they put a couple pieces together. That’s when the magic happens.”
The Pirates (9-10-2) had a few chances throughout the second half, including a pair of shots that missed just wide and an Ava Humphrey shot that was saved by Emily Hicks, who finished with four saves.
“We played our butts off,” Adna coach Patrick Richardson said. “We just didn’t give ourselves quite enough opportunities.”
Adna was looking to extend its own state-tournament streak, as they had reached the prior 11 state tournaments, but the Pirates will now miss out for the first time since 2012, the program’s first season.
“To be a part of that is huge,” Richardson said. “It might not have been their day today, but it’s the entire history. They’re a part of that history … I couldn’t ask for a better team of who we had out there. They have nothing to hang their heads about.”
The Pirates will graduate six seniors — Sophie Hagseth, Sudaa Druck-Ewan, Lilly Naillon, Ava Humphrey, Bailey Naillon, and Rhylee Beebe — but Richardson is confident in the group that will return and the newcomers that are expected to step up next season.
“This program’s not going anywhere,” Richardson said. “That’s a nice thing to know for the future.”
Onalaska (10-8-1) will learn its state seeding and Round of 16 opponent on Sunday before playing that matchup on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
“That’s kind of the whole point of the season, is going to play a state game,” Van Clifford said. “Just go have fun playing at state. That’s a great deal. I think the girls are ready to go, and I think they have a shot. I’m excited for the opportunity.”
