Yellow Pages
SUMNER — By the time the La Conner and Orcas Island girls’ soccer teams met Friday, there was little mystery left between the squads.
And, even though the Vikings had won the previous two meetings, both teams knew its players were evenly matched. So it came as no surprise to either side that it took a shootout, and then some, to determine which of the Northwest 2B/1A League rivals would reach the Class 2B/1B state finals.
While the score got closer each time they played, the outcome remained the same. The Vikings handed the Braves a 2-1 loss in a shootout, with the shootout score 4-3 in six rounds.
“This one should have been in the finals,” Braves coach Amy Freeto said. “I don’t think this stadium will see a better game this weekend.”
A win would have meant the first state soccer final in La Conner history. Instead, the Braves will face Seattle Lutheran at 10 a.m. today in the game for third place at Sunset Chev Stadium.
“I think we’ll come out and play well,” Braves junior Sydney Hartwick said. “We’re all proud of what we done this year.”
Orcas Island will take on Napavine in the finals.
“That was an incredible match. It could have gone either way,” Orcas Island coach Chama Anderson said. “There was so much heart and hustling. Both teams are winners in a game like that.”
The Braves had the bulk of the possession, and the scoring opportunities, throughout regulation, but it was the Vikings getting on the board first when Alison O’Toole split the Braves’ defense up the middle and poked a goal to the left side in the fifth minute for a 1-0 lead.
“That’s happened several times to us,” Freeto said. “It seems to take us about 10 minutes to get over our jitters. Unfortunately, they got a goal.”
From there on, La Conner was in control. The Braves outshot the Vikings 7-2 in the first half and 14-7 in the game, but didn’t get the tying score until the 49th minute when Hartwick took a pass up the right side and one-timed a blast from about 18 yards out that goalie Lana Bronn got a fingertip on but couldn’t keep out of the goal.
“Once we got into our rhythm, we played really well,” Hartwick said.
Over the final 30 minutes, the Braves had several chances, including eight corner kicks, but couldn’t capitalize. La Conner’s offense suffered in the overtime when midfielder Megan Raymond, then forward Rachel Dewey went down with injuries. The Braves almost ended it right after Raymond’s injury, as Hartwick took the ensuing free kick and blasted it 28 yards off the crossbar.
The Braves led most of the shootout. Raymond returned to score the first goal, and Nikki Finley and Hartwick also found the net. Kelly Gilkey stopped the shot she saw.
La Conner had a chance to win it with a final shot once and to extend the shootout another time, but O’Toole, who moved into goal for the shootout, stopped the final two balls that came her way.
• Eric Francis can be reached at 360-416-2131 or .
