The No. 12 seed South Kitsap Wolves gave it everything they had, but couldn’t come away with a win in the second round of districts, falling to No. 5 seed Puyallup 2-0 Nov. 4 in Federal Way to end their season.
The Wolves won their opening district game 2-0 against No. 13 seed Rogers Nov. 1. SK and Puyallup previously met in the regular season Oct. 7 in Port Orchard, with the Vikings also earning a 2-0 win in that matchup.
“We talked about coming out and playing with heart and grit and giving it everything you got,” SK coach Randi Gunyan said.
The Wolves managed to get the ball into Puyallup territory in the first half, but couldn’t generate a shot on goal. Puyallup, on the other hand, obtained multiple corner kicks and managed to land an up-close-and-personal shot-on-goal attempt of their own. However, the ball went off the right upright, keeping the game scoreless.
SK managed to mitigate another Pullayup scoring chance with 14:05 remaining in the first half behind defenders Chloe Legan and Ella Sherwood, keeping the game scoreless.
Puyallup was able to strike first with a long-distance shot on goal from the 25-yard line, giving the Vikings a 1-0 lead entering halftime.
“Coach [Gunyan] was telling us at halftime to keep our intensity up and put everything into this game because it could be our last,” Legan said.
The Vikings managed to put in a header goal off a corner kick two minutes into the second half, giving Puyallup a 2-0 lead.
SK midfielder Jenna Booth pushed the ball into Puyallup territory and gave SK their first shot on goal of the game with 29:09 remaining in the game, but couldn’t get the ball to find the back of the net.
The physicality of the game amped up in the second half as both sides increased their overall pursuit of the ball.
Puyallup also had the potential to score another goal after SK goaltender Clara Fournier overpursued, but the ball hit the top post, keeping the game within reach at the time.
“I think they dug deep and [we] did the best we could, but calls weren’t going our way,” Gunyan said.
Other Kitsap scores
In 2A district soccer, No. 1 seed Bainbridge won its opening game 4-0 over No. 9 seed Sequim Nov. 4 and will advance to the semifinals against No. 5 seed Port Angeles. The Spartans will host the Roughriders Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
No. 4 seed North Kitsap lost its opening game 1-0 against PA. The Vikings will now host Sequim in a loser-out game Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. No. 7 seed Kingston won its opening game 6-0 over No. 10 seed Eatonville but then lost to No. 2 seed Fife 4-0. The Buccaneers now play No. 6 seed Orting in a loser-out game at 5 p.m. Nov. 6 at Bainbridge High School. No. 11 seed Bremerton lost its opening game 8-2 to Orting Nov. 1 to be eliminated.
In 3A, No. 2 seed Central Kitsap won its opening game 2-1 Nov. 4 over No. 10 seed Silas to advance to state. The Cougars will now play No. 3 seed White River in the district semifinals at 5 p.m. Nov. 6 in Federal Way.
In 1A, No. 3 seed Klahowya won its opening district game 3-0 against No. 6 seed Vashon Island, but the Eagles lost to No. 2 seed Bellevue Christian 1-0 Nov. 4 in the semifinals. Klahowya will now host No. 1 seed Annie Wright Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. with the winner advancing to state.
