Federal Way needed a lot of skill and a little luck in their 1-0 win over Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday night.

They had plenty of shots in both halves, but for most of the game, it looked as though they would have had more success scoring on a brick wall in goal than on Jefferson senior goalkeeper Samantha Simundson.

When the Eagles shot it high, Simundson was there to tip it over the net. When they shot lower, she was there to catch it. When they thought they had a breakaway chance, she was there to clear the ball from the box.

“I just try to do the best that I can for my team,” Simundson said. “I have a blast doing it.”

Despite Simundson’s efforts, Federal Way was able to find the back of the net. The Eagles dominated possession for most of the first half.

In the 31st minute, Eagles midfielder Julian Johnson attempted a high shot on the right side of the net. Simundson got a hand on it, but it bounced off the crossbar back in front of the net. Federal Way defender Anjilia Sumandig was able to beat two defenders to it and place it in the net for the 1-0 lead.

The lead stood for the rest of the game, but not for Jefferson’s lack of trying. Though the Eagles still retained most of the possession, the Raiders were much more evenly matched as they tried to tie things up.

“I was pretty happy with our play for the most part,” Jefferson junior midfielder Jasmine Pleasants said. “The goal was unlucky. We played hard throughout and we didn’t give up, so I’m proud of that.”

Opportunities for both teams came on corners early in the second half, but neither found a way to beat the opposing keeper.

“It’s a W in the books, so that’s a good thing,” Federal Way head coach Lynde Clarke said. “We’re working out the kinks from the new players coming in and playing a new formation. It’s just another game in the books for us as we try to get the beginning of the year started.”

We may not have won, but we’re gonna work so hard to get past this and beat them next time,” Simundson said. “We have Beamer on Thursday and I’m so pumped for that.”

Both teams played on Thursday after the Mirror’s publishing deadline. Jefferson played against undefeated Beamer and Federal Way played Mount Rainier.

The next game for Federal Way (2-1-0, 2-0-0) after Thursday is on Tuesday Sept. 22 against Beamer. Jefferson (3-2-0, 1-1-0) will not see action again until Friday, Sept. 25 against Decatur.

Titans Score early and often against Gators

Three minutes into the game, the Titans already went up 1-0. Two minutes later, they scored again when Alyssa Nordman found Ameera Hussen on a corner kick for a headed in goal.

It seemed as though Makayla Miller was going to miss her opportunity to net a first half goal when an offsides call disallowed one. Just a minute later, Hussen found her in space and she placed it in the back of the net for a 3-0 lead.

“We started off really strong today,” Beamer head coach Joel Lindberg said. “This is our first league game and we’ve been working on some things. It started to come together today.”

By halftime, Todd Beamer led 5-0 over the Gators. Emily Gunderson, Ameera Hussen, Miller, Maddie Landreth and Jourdin Hering each had one goal at the half.

In the second half, Gunderson, Hussen and Hering added another goal to their stat sheets. Cristina Alverez joined them in the goal scoring frenzy as the Titans rolled to a 9-1 win.

“In the second half, we did come out fighting again,” said Decatur head coach Jim Hager. “We had some key players missing and the players that filled in did the best they could. It’s tough when you go up against an opponent like [Beamer]. The positive I’ll take away is that we didn’t get shut out. We didn’t lie down and die; we kept fighting. I’ll take that.”

Decatur scored their lone goal in the 43rd minute of the game to open the second half.

Beamer (4-0-0, 1-0-0) played Jefferson after the Mirror’s publishing deadline on Thursday. Their next game will be on Tuesday, Sept. 22 against Federal Way. Decatur (2-2-0, 0-2-0) will face Mount Rainier (0-3-0, 0-1-0) on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Beamer players Ameera Hussen (left), Kacia Rogalla (middle) and Makayla Miller (right) celebrate a goal during their Sept. 15 win over Decatur at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.