The 2A district soccer quarterfinal playoffs kicked off Thursday, Oct. 31 in three different locations. Two games took place at Western’s Harrington Field, Squalicum traveled to Archbishop Murphy and Marysville-Pilchuck met Lynden at Ferndale High School.
Anacortes vs. Sehome
The Mariners dominated their first-round matchup against the Seahawks with their offensive firepower, winning 4-0 in the first game at Harrington Field. Sehome struck within the first 90 seconds when Amaia Reid received a through ball down the right sideline. She crossed the ball along the ground and Vivian Moss scored.
Moss and the Mariners kept their foot on the gas pedal until the 28th minute. Alexis Maldonado juked a defender on the right sideline and crossed to Moss for the second goal. Moss nearly picked up a hat trick in the 43rd minute with a shot off her left foot but Anacortes’ Mia Kennedy made a diving save.
Seahawks’ Charlotte Santos fired a shot on Mariners’ Clarice Hickey, who made the save. In the 62nd minute, a bunch of players leaped for a ball near the six-yard box on a Sehome corner kick. Sehome’s Triya Mitchell landed a foot on it and scored.
Sehome’s final goal came in the 75th minute when the Seahawks tried to clear the ball from their box. Sehome’s Ayla Woodworth responded with a deep shot and snuck it over Kennedy’s gloves for the final goal.
Sehome will face Burlington-Edison in the semifinals Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. at Civic Stadium. Anacortes will play in the consolation bracket Nov. 2 against Bellingham at 5 p.m.
Burlington-Edison vs. Bellingham
The seven-seed Burlington-Edison stunned two-seed Bellingham 2-1 (4-2 in penalties). Bellingham dominated early when Ella Morrow fired two shots within the first 10 minutes.
Neither team was able to string any offensive production until the Bayhawks scored in the 28th minute. Sophie Brady chased a through ball across the field and dribbled toward the goal before shooting into the net for the early 1-0 lead.
Bellingham kept attacking with open chances but failed to put shots on net. Burlington-Edison responded after a counterattack led to a handball inside Bellingham’s 18-yard box. The Tigers’ Aliyah Vega scored on the penalty kick in the 50th minute.
Neither team scored in regulation nor the extra time. Both teams went to penalties and Bellingham struggled from the spot. The Bayhawks’ first two shots were saved while the Tigers scored. Goalie Bethany Mackay made the game-winning save and penalty kick.
Squalicum vs. Archbishop Murphy
Squalicum traveled to Archbishop Murphy for the 4 vs. 5-seed matchup. The two teams proved to be evenly matched as the Wildcats won 2-1 (5-4 penalties).
Archbishop Murphy applied pressure to Squalicum’s defense early on with a shot outside of the box on the net. Squalicum responded when Ania Stawicki’s shot forced Archbishop Murphy’s goalie to make a leaping save.
The Wildcats had a breakaway opportunity with no defenders in sight. Yet, the Storm’s Kailana Perez made the slide tackle to keep the game scoreless. In the final seconds of the first half, Wildcats’ Kylie Hendry fired a 30-yard kick over Perez for the 1-0 lead.
Squalicum answered in the 68th minute when Stawicki scored on a 30-yard free kick. Neither team was able to score until penalty kicks.
Archbishop Murphy scored its first four penalties and had the opportunity to secure the victory. Yet, Perez made the save and kept the game alive. Both teams missed their next two penalties. Wildcats’ Laura Anderson won the game by firing into the upper right corner.
Squalicum will face Marysville-Pilchuck at Civic Stadium Nov. 2 at 11 a.m.
Marysville-Pilchuck vs. Lynden
Lynden won its first matchup against Marysville-Pilchuck 5-0. The Lions will face Archbishop Murphy at 1 p.m. Nov. 2 at Civic Stadium.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
