Eagles prevail against Vikings in overtime thriller

By Shaun Scott • November 10, 2017 5:46 pm
Photo courtesy of Don Borin/Stop Action Photography Issaquah Eagles players surround goalie Chloe Lang (yellow jersey) after she made two dramatic saves in a penalty kick shootout against the Puyallup Vikings. The Eagles outscored the Vikings 3-2 in the overtime shootout to capture a victory in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Photo courtesy of Don Borin/Stop Action Photography Issaquah Eagles players surround goalie Chloe Lang (yellow jersey) after she made two dramatic saves in a penalty kick shootout against the Puyallup Vikings. The Eagles outscored the Vikings 3-2 in the overtime shootout to capture a victory in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

The entire Issaquah Eagles girls soccer squad made a beeline for goalie Chloe Lang for a celebration of epic proportions.

The outcome of the Class 4A first round state playoff game between the Puyallup Vikings and Eagles couldn’t be decided by 80 minutes of regulation and two five-minute overtime sessions. The Eagles and the Vikings were tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes of soccer. The outcome of the playoff showdown came down to a penalty kick shootout. Issaquah outscored Puyallup 3-2 in the shootout, earning a 2-1 victory on Nov. 8 at Sparks Stadium in downtown Puyallup.

Lang was absolutely jovial following the dramatic victory on the road against a Puyallup team that hadn’t lost a game all season.

“It was definitely awesome. We have been practicing on PK’s (penalty kicks) and it paid off,” Lang said.

Issaquah players scoring goals in the penalty kick shootout consisted of Sean Eaton, Catey Nelson and Claudia Longo. While the Eagles came through in the clutch during penalty kicks, they appeared to have the game sewed up when Nelson scored the first goal of the game in the 77th minute, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Eagles appeared to be mere seconds from a victory until Puyallup scored in stoppage time, tying the game at 1-1 to force overtime.

“It was hard at first because we kind of thought we had it (the win) in the bag. When that goal went in, everything got tense,” Lang explained.

Issaquah head coach Tom Bunnell was proud of his team for rallying after Puyallup tied the game in dramatic fashion with hardly any time left on the clock.

“It was super disappointing and heart wrenching,” Bunnell said of Puyallup scoring the game-tying goal. “I’m super proud of the way we played in overtime. Chloe was great. She made great saves and the kickers (Eaton, Nelson and Longo) were phenomonal. We did well against a quality team. I’m super excited for us.”