The W.F. West girls soccer team had to battle back multiple times at home on Saturday, but the Bearcats came away with a 3-2 win in penalties over R.A. Long to advance to the district semifinals.
W.F. West trailed 1-0, 2-1, and early in the shootout before turning it around to come out on top.
“We kept going behind and battling back,” W.F. West coach Kevin Schultz. “I know that our team has really good character and a lot of toughness. So I had a lot of faith.”
The Bearcats (13-3) struggled to get going offensively early, but Schultz adjusted the formation at the top to run things through Ashlen Gruginski in the second half.
“It was just making sure we were finding Ashlen’s feet,” Schultz said.
Gruginski found Emily Mallonee early in the second half to tie the game at one. After R.A. Long took the lead, they connected again with just five minutes remaining to tie the game at two.
Both R.A. Long goals came from free kicks. Alice Anderson scored the first directly, and the second was headed in by Elle Jones.
After a scoreless 10-minute overtime, the two teams went to penalties, where the Lumberjacks took another lead by hitting their first shot.
W.F. West keeper Charlee Nelson guessed right on both of the first two R.A. Long shots, but the shots were able to get past. That trend didn’t last, as Nelson also guessed right on each of the next three shots. One sailed over the net, but Nelson saved the other two, including the last.
Schultz credited goalkeepers coach Alan Contreras, saying that at the end of practice on Friday, he and Nelson went through tips that could help Nelson tell which way the shooter was aiming.
“It was really effective today,” Schultz said.
Jaelynn Fuentes, Violet Ratkie, and Reese Mishler connected on their PKs, giving the Bearcats their first district tournament win since 2012.
“It was time to make a stand for our program and for our league,” Schultz said. “To show things were changing, and I think they showed that today.”
The Bearcats will now play in a district semifinal against either Mark Morris or Columbia River on Wednesday. A win sends them to the state tournament and the district title game, while a loss would send them to a winner-to-state elimination game.
