With thoughts of what could have been still fresh on their minds, the Skyline soccer team responded Saturday afternoon with a truly gritty performance.
“It was hard to come out with the passion that we’ve come out with the whole season,” senior Michelle Bretl said. “We wanted to be playing (in the championship), but it was nice to see the girls come out with heart.”
Just 16 hours after suffering a 1-0 state semifinal loss to Tahoma — their first defeat of the season — the Spartans bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Skyview to earn third place in 4A
“If you asked me yesterday if we’d be happy with third, I’d say no way,” head coach Don Braman said. “But the reality is, we only had one game left to play, and today we played it the best we could.”
Skyline started out hot on a brisk afternoon at Lakewood’s Harry Lang Stadium.
Just 3 minutes and 9 seconds into the contest, junior defender Jackie Wilson booted a free kick into the penalty box from 30 yards out. The pass went directly to the head of junior Nicole Candioglos for the score.
“I just hit it in and I knew somebody was going to be there,” Wilson said.
The Spartans continued to apply the pressure, out-shooting the Storm 8-1 in the first half.
Skyline padded its lead in the 46th minute when Wilson capitalized on a loose ball in the box. Junior Maddie Christ delivered a corner kick from the right side of the field. The ball was knocked around for a brief moment before Wilson found her opportunity.
“Somebody deflected it and it came towards, me and it was near the net, so I just put it in,” she said.
Skyview responded with a fierce attack, continuing to push the ball up the field. Eventually, in the 61st minute, the Storm’s hard work paid off when Sheaffer Skadsen headed in a cross from Brittany Wilson.
“They pushed bodies up field,” Braman said. “Hats off to them for throwing everything they had at us.”
Skyview only received one other real solid look on goal, and it was a good one.
With just under 7 minutes left in the contest, Skadesen broke through the Spartan defense for a one-on-one opportunity with Skyline junior goalkeeper Tina Vargas. Skadesen released a powerful shot to the right side of the goal, but Vargas sprawled out to her left to deflect the shot over the top of the net.
“She got back and she was 4 feet off the ground horizontal, saving a ball that’s going in and just pushing it over the bar, Braman said. “That’s the kind of save we’ve seen from her all year.”
Skyline, which carried the No. 1 national ranking into the state tournament, ended its season with an impressive 19-1 record.
“At the beginning of the game we said ‘Do it for the seniors, it’s our last 80 minutes as Spartans on the soccer field,'” Bretl said. “I was really happy with the way they came out and played and I really feel like we accomplished something. Nineteen wins in one season and one loss, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
This was Skyline’s fourth top-three placement in the last five years. The Spartans finished third in 2006, and won state titles in 2008 and 2009.
“With third place they got to have a little fun and mock the pressure that was after them all year and say ‘You know what, we got third,'” Braman said. “We’re happy about that.”
Tahoma 1, Skyline 0
Sarah Jeric scored an unassisted goal in the 4th minute of Friday’s semifinal, giving Tahoma all it needed to pull off the upset.
Skyline had its opportunities, but just missed off the cross bar on several occasions late in the second half. Amber Woolcock also came up with some big saves for the Bears.
Kentwood, also an SPSL team, defeated Tahoma 1-0 Saturday night, via a shootout to capture the state title.
