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NAPAVINE — John Bates moseyed on by after the final whistle and uttered a quick thought before departing Napavine High School on Wednesday night.
“Night and day difference,” he quipped.
Bates and assistant head coach Chris Tarabochia were far from pleased with how the Tigers’ girls soccer team played on Monday versus Adna, dropping a 2-1 verdict. So too were the 11 in the starting lineup and everyone on the bench.
“We took that loss to heart,” senior Hayden Kaut said. “We overlooked Adna.”
And after 40 more sluggish minutes to start Wednesday’s tilt versus C2BL-leading Onalaska, there was a heavy dosage of reality amidst a steady drizzle of rain.
“We have to have more positivity and take our shots sooner,” Kaut stated. “We seem to be more of a second half team; we need to find a happy medium.”
True to form with a roster of district champs, state qualifiers and state champions across three seasons, Napavine broke the ice and willed its way to a 2-0 triumph over the Loggers to usher in a slight bit of chaos with the regular season winding down.
Coupled with Toledo’s 8-0 thrashing over Forks, the Riverhawks are in sole possession of first place in the league. The Loggers and Tigers each have a loss – the latter has a draw – and Adna sits with two setbacks.
Toledo and Onalaska will battle it out on the last day of the regular season next Wednesday for what could be an outright league title for the Riverhawks.
“We struggle with their speed,” Loggers head coach Christopher Van Clifford said of Napavine. “There’s not a lot of gaps or holes in the field because they cover the ground pretty fast. We had trouble connecting passes.”
When the two teams tangled in a non-league match in September, the lone tally was a Kaiut long-range free kick.
Second verse, same as the first.
Kaut unleashed a strike from well over 30 yards out and dipped just over the out-stretched hands of Onalaska keeper Emily Hicks in the 51st minute. Eighth grader Cadence Bolen notched the assist.
“That was some great soccer,” Tarabochia said. “We were more in sync with each other.”
“I like to be able to shoot from further out,” Kaut added.
Napavine (8-4-2, 5-1-1 C2BL) controlled possession for much of the second half. It added a late insurance goal off a Kaut feed to Jenna Gallagher in the 77th minute to seal the win. Compared to just one shot in the first half, the Tigers registered seven in the second half and five on goal.
They rarely let the Loggers' top scorer Kaiyah Sandridge and the rest of the attackers get comfortable.
“I thought they responded well and credit to the energy they played with,” Tarabochia said. “That’s not the same team we put on the field Monday night.”
Still, Onalaska (7-7, 6-1) had a couple looks at an equalizer, but nothing seriously threatened. It finished with five shots and just three on goal. Ilwaco forfeited a match versus Napavine and if Onalaska and the Fishermen don’t meet up, next Wednesday is the last contest before districts.
And with only three from District 4 making it through to state, it’s shaping up to be the toughest tournament in a long time.
“Hopefully it gets them ready,” Van Clifford said. “Maybe today is a bit of a reality check.”
Napavine closes with Toutle Lake and Forks. It is hopeful this can springboard into a 2-0 record to stick in the top-two of the standings.
“They know they've got the skillset to go far, but sometimes, we’re not aggressive,” Tarabochia said. “If we can be aggressive, we’re OK. This group is talented and athletic. When they wake up and they’re ready to grind… how consistent do you want to be?”
