In other leagues in other countries, the Centralia girls soccer team would have shared points with Aberdeen after ending its match all tied up at 1-1 at Tiger Stadium on Tuesday. But this is America, and needing a winner, the match went to the penalty spot, where the Tigers ultimately lost in a shootout, dampening what coach Noel Vazquez saw as a positive performance.
“We gave ourselves a shot today, and that’s all I can ask as we try to improve the program moving forward,” he said.
The Tigers did more than that early on. Focusing on not getting into a hole right out of the gate, Centralia struck first in the 18th minute when Olivia Gruginksi scored off an assist from Trinity Smith.
The hosts’ defense held nearly all the way to halftime, but Aberdeen finally equalized just before the whistle sounded, turning a free kick from distance into a scramble inside the area that finally saw the ball bundled into the net.
“We were chasing most of the first half,” Vazquez said. “In the second half, we definitely moved the ball a lot better, we gave ourselves a lot more shots.”
But despite the added attack – Centralia finished with 11 shots on target, to Aberdeen’s 10 – nobody could find the goal in the second 40 minutes, sending the match to the spot.
Centralia fell behind early with a shot off the post and another saved in its first four attempts, and while Lilliana Babka – who finished with nine saves in regulation – saved one to prolong the shootout, Aberdeen cashed in on its final attempt to win it 4-3.
The Tigers (2-7, 2-4 2A EvCo) are set to go to Tumwater on Thursday to open their second pass through the league.
