Bellingham girls soccer placed fourth place at the 2A state tournament after falling to West Valley (Spokane) 5-0 Saturday, Nov. 23 at Mount Tahoma High School. It was the Bayhawks’ best state finish since taking second during the 2013–14 season.
West Valley scored its first two goals early in the first half. With seconds left in the first half, an Eagles forward ran past a pair of Bayhawk defenders and snuck the ball into the net to make it 3-0 at halftime. West Valley took a shot from about 35 yards out and nailed it over Bellingham keeper Uma Bachmeier’s gloves for the fourth goal in the 57th minute.
A West Valley header nearly bounced for the fifth goal in the 80th minute, but Bachmeier made a late save to hold the score. West Valley ended with a final goal in stoppage time.
The Bayhawks lost 2-0 in the 2A state semifinals to Ridgefield Friday, Nov. 22 at Mount Tahoma High School. The Bayhawks won their first state playoff game since 2017 last week.
The Spudders came into the match as the top seed and proved it early with their consistent pressure in the attacking third. Ridgefield earned its first corner kick in the second minute after the first shot was punched out by Bellingham’s goalie Uma Bachmeier.
In the 10th minute, Ridgefield’s Savvy Semlick received a long pass along the right sideline. She took a couple touches and shot the ball over Bachmeier’s gloves and into the net for the first goal.
Bellingham struggled to get any opportunities until the 29th minute when Ivy Newell took a 33-yard shot and missed. In the second half, the Bayhawks looked to break through Ridgefield’s defensive line. Beckett Ferry had a shot in the 50th minute that missed wide right.
Samiah Rowe also had an open shot in front of the net but slipped near the 6-yard box. Ridgefield’s Nora Martin scored the second goal in the 55th minute from the top of the 18-yard box.
Bellingham failed to get a shot on goal in the final 10 minutes of the game, allowing Ridgefield to cruise to victory.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
