Once the Skyview girls soccer team gets rolling, several opponents have learned this season how difficult it is to turn back the Storm.
Skyview’s latest surge Wednesday came courtesy of two first-half goals from Dea Covarrubias, which helped power the No. 5 seed Storm to a 4-1 win over No. 12 Puyallup in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
After the final whistle sounded, several Skyview players looked up at the Kiggins Bowl scoreboard and reveled in the final result. It was a performance the Storm (13-1-3) were proud of and one that offered another glimpse of the team’s potential.
“When we get our first and second goal, we are rocking. We keep going,” Covarrubias said. “We just get motivated after shooting more and more.”
“It’s a statement,” Skyview junior goalkeeper Brynnlee Williams added. “Coming into state, nobody expected us to be here.”
Skyview’s program endured a decade-long state playoff drought that ended Wednesday when the Storm made their first state appearance since 2014.
Intent on testing Puyallup’s back line and goalkeeper Olivia Weidner from the get-go, Skyview played the ball through to Covarrubias, its speedy senior forward, twice in the first five minutes and also saw senior Scottie Crooks fire a shot on goal saved by Weidner.
The Storm remained patient throughout the half, and just seconds after Covarrubias and Crooks subbed back into the game in the 22nd minute, Covarrubias’ toe-tapping shot on a pass from Raleigh Fisher bounced into goal to give the Storm a 1-0 lead.
Their message from the sideline?
“Basically just to keep up the intensity and build everyone back up,” said Crooks, a senior captain.
Covarrubias added a goal in the 37th minute assisted by Mya Ellertson to send Skyview to halftime ahead 2-0.
“We’ve had games like this all year where we broke the seal, basically, and we’re off to the races and running,” Skyview coach Matt Houghton said. “We’ve shown that we can do it; it’s just a matter of getting it done. The girls came out, they combined really well in the first half. They were ready to put it away. … These girls were ready tonight and in the right places.”
Puyallup’s Ella Bach pulled the Vikings (12-6-2) within 2-1 on a goal scored in the 68th minute, but Skyview deftly maneuvered the late pressure. Reese Harrison found space on a through ball from Avery Petersen and scored from 15 yards out in the 76th minute, all but securing a Storm victory. Petersen added a late goal for good measure.
“Coming back form adversity, I think it just shows how much we’ve grown,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t say I would be as confident last year, or year before that. But this year, this team, I had no doubt … Yeah, we got scored on, but it’s what happens in the game. We got out, we scored two more (and) put it away.”
In a landmark season for the program, the Storm are now in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. Next up, they’ll face No. 13 Issaquah, which knocked off No. 4 Chiawana on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to next week’s state final four.
“It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come,” Covarrubias said.
SKYVIEW 4, PUYALLUP 1
Skyview
Goals (assists) — Dea Covarrubias (Raleigh Fisher); Covarrubias (Mya Ellertson); Reese Harrison (Avery Petersen); Petersen (Natalie Winzer). Goalkeeper saves — Brynnlee Williams 6. Match standouts — Dea Covarrubias, Scottie Crooks, Mya Ellerston.
Halftime — 2-0.
