Girls soccer: Skyline ends Beamer’s season, 1-0, in state quarterfinals

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By Casey Olson • November 17, 2009 9:10 am
Beamer junior Tiarra Fentress (left) attempts to take the ball from a Skyline player during Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Federal Way Memorial Stadium in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game.
Beamer junior Tiarra Fentress (left) attempts to take the ball from a Skyline player during Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Federal Way Memorial Stadium in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game.

The Todd Beamer High School girls soccer team snared a pair of penalty-kick shootout victories in their previous two loser-out playoff games.

They wouldn’t get to the penalty kicks Saturday afternoon.

The defending state-champion Skyline Spartans converted an early goal at Federal Way Memorial Stadium during their Class 4A state quarterfinal match and ended the Titans’ season with a 1-0 victory.

Skyline tallied a goal in the third minute to earn a semifinal matchup with Kentwood Friday night at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood. Issaquah plays Kamiakin in the other semifinal.

“I think the game just plays out different if you don’t get that early one,” Skyline head coach Don Braman said.

Skyline (16-4-0) jumped all over the Titans when senior Anna Morgan played a crossing pass into the penalty box to midfielder Coral Anderson, who headed the ball into the corner of the net from 5 yards out for her third goal of the season. Beamer goalkeeper Meghan Graf had no chance at corralling the header from Anderson, who placed it perfectly in the right side of the goal, out of Graf’s reach.

“It was a really nice ball, it was right to my head,” Anderson said. “I didn’t even know where it went at first, then I saw it, out of the corner of my eye, go in and I got really excited.”

With the early lead, the Spartans were able to drop back into a defensive position for the remainder of the game and didn’t allow Beamer very many solid, goal-scoring opportunities.

But the Titans did have a couple of chances to tie the game during the final 77 minutes of the match. Beamer controlled a good portion of the possession time and kept the ball on their end of the field.

The Titans’ best chance came during the 46th minute of play, when Beamer’s all-everything midfielder Holland Crook nearly tied the score. Crook banged a 25-yard penalty kick off Skyline’s goal post, and the Spartans’ defense was able to clear the ball. The shot evaded diving Skyline goalkeeper Tina Vargas.

The loss to the Spartans ends Beamer’s season with a 13-4-3 record and the program’s second appearance at the state tournament. The Titans last played in state during the 2007 season, when Beamer lost to Eastlake in a shootout in the championship game. The Titans missed state last year after getting upset at the West Central District Tournament, after being the top-ranked team in the state for much of the season and winning the South Puget Sound League title.

Saturday’s loss to Skyline also ends the Beamer careers of 10 seniors on the Titans’ roster. Gone will be Crook, Jill Podawitz, McKayla Falecki, Karlie Hall, Sarah Petosa, Sara Miller, Jessica Niewoehner, Mackenzie Hickel, Jessica Sanchez and Kelli Carlson.

Crook led the Titans in scoring during the season. The Arizona State-bound senior tallied 14 goals and six assists and was an All-SPSL selection during her final three years at Beamer. She was also the Class 4A state player of the year as a sophomore after leading Beamer to the state title game. Hickel finished her senior season with seven goals and seven assists, Niewoehner led the Titans’ defense and also tallied four goals, and Miller finished with two goals and three assists.

But Beamer will have plenty of talent returning next season. Back will be the team’s second-leading goal scorer, Breanna Straus, who finished with nine goals; Jasmine Brilliante (three goals, four assists); and Tiarra Fentress (four goals); along with Graf, who finished with six shutouts this season in goal.