W.F. West girls basketball coach Kyle Karnofski told Tenino girls soccer coach Kevin Schultz one thing before the Beavers faced South Whidbey and the Falcons’ 12-match win streak in the opening round of the 1A state tournament Wednesday: “Winning streaks are meant to come to an end.”
Boy, was he right.
No. 15 Tenino battled the second-seeded Falcons to a scoreless stalemate in regulation, then knocked out South Whidbey, 4-1, in kicks from the mark in a stunning first-round upset Wednesday at Oak Harbor High School.
“We’re excited,” Schultz said. “We’re back in the quarterfinals. Losing state last year, when we had everyone back year before, the girls were excited for the opportunity.”
And the Beavers took every advantage of that opportunity after getting slighted by the WIAA’s seeding committee. Tenino, which entered the state tourney with a 14-5 overall record, received the 15th seed after finishing third in one of the toughest 1A districts in the state (La Center is No. 5 and Montesano is No. 7).
Seven, count ‘em seven, teams with fewer wins than Tenino were seeded higher than the Beavers. After toppling the No. 2 team, one could say they felt slighted — and deservedly so.
“Little bit of a feeling of disrespect,” Schultz said. “I think it’s a gift. Now we beat them, we take that seed and we host.”
Tenino now gets to take South Whidbey’s No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Montesano on Saturday.
But Schultz takes nothing away from a Falcons’ team that entered with a 12-match win streak and was the district champion in one of the most competitive districts in the state.
“We knew they would be tough,” Schultz said. “They won that private school league. They were a heck of a team and it took a lot of fight from our girls.”
Schultz credited the performance of the Beaver’s entire defense, as well as Alivia Hunter at midfield and keeper Abby Severse, who made 10 saves on the night.
Megan Letts, Grace Vestal, Morgan Miner and Kamryn Oliviera knocked in the PKs for the win. Severse stopped one Falcons’ PK and scared another away from the crossbar.
Now, the Beavers (15-5) will face a Montesano squad that has beaten them three times this season — twice in the regular season and again in the district semifinals. The winner advances to the trophy-round and state semifinals.
“We’ll go in there looking for redemption,” Schultz said.
