The 2017 season might’ve ended for the King’s Way Christian girls soccer team Saturday in the Class 1A state quarterfinals, but in reality, this is just the beginning.
It’s tough to be upset about a season-ending 3-0 home defeat to Seattle Academy to end a season when so much was accomplished.
This week’s 2-0 shutout of Lynden Christian was the program’s first win at the state level, a major milestone after back-to-back first-round exits to Seattle’s University Prep in 2014 and ’15.
“We accomplished what we wanted to,” junior goalkeeper Hannah Moates said, “but we definitely wanted more. The scoreboard doesn’t reflect on how we played today.”
Coach Tina Ellertson said her team played “just as good, if not better” for the first 20 minutes against a Seattle Academy (15-2-3 overall) team accustomed to this postseason stage, playing in the state quarterfinals for the ninth straight year.
The Cardinals led 1-0 at halftime with a goal in the 25th minute before adding two more goals in a 5-minute span just after halftime, including a goal by freshman Kaitlin Diamond to make it a 2-0 game in the 46th minute.
That’s why the Knights wholeheartedly believe moving forward, it’s a new brand of Knights soccer. Not just reaching the state tournament, but winning games at this stage, too.
And this postseason proved it.
“We know we can battle with these teams,” Ellertson said. “The first 20 minutes was huge.”
What’s more promising, too, is the Knights (14-3) return all but two players for next season. Kennedy Carpenter, who scored both goals in Wednesday’s opening-round win, and Elise Schey, are the team’s only seniors.
And MacKenzie Ellertson, a Washington State commit who sat out this season to focus on club-soccer duties, is expected to return for her senior season, Tina Ellertson said.
“Next year is going to be so exciting,” Moates said. “We’ll be prepared for next year. I’m already thinking about it.”
