For a team that started the season 0-4-2, still standing among the state’s final four in 3A is impressive.
That is exactly what the Prairie girls soccer team has accomplished.
The Falcons outlasted Mercer Island in a penalty kick shootout after playing to a 1-1 tie Saturday to win the state quarterfinal match and advance to next weekend’s semifinals at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
“It was a very tightly contested match with them as the home team,” Prairie coach Michael Thyron said. “We needed solid defense and that’s what our players gave us.”
Mercer Island (16-1-1) scored the game’s first goal with about 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Prairie’s Savannah Harshbarger scored on a free kick with about 10 minutes to play in regulation to tie the match.
“That goal gave us moment into the overtime,” Thyron said.
After two scoreless overtime periods, Prairie would need just four shooters in the penalty kicks to win it as Mercer Island missed one and had one saved.
Alyssa Talkington, Maya Davis, Harshbarger, and Malaika Quigley converted PKs for the Falcons (13-5-3).
Thyron praised the defensive effort of Anna Neal, Haley Reed, Olivia Jones and Sydney Weber for keeping Prairie in the match.
Next up is a semifinal against Holy Names Academy (15-6-1) of Seattle at 4 p.m. Friday. Gig Harbor (8-0-0) and Kamiakin (11-1-1) play the first semifinal at 2 p.m.
The championship match is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Nov. 17 and the third-place match at 10 a.m.
