Throughout the first 40 minutes of play the Skyline Spartans had a sizable amount of opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net against the rival Eastlake Wolves in a Class 4A KingCo girls soccer matchup.

The Spartans couldn’t convert in the first half, but their fortunes quickly changed during the first minute of the second half. Skyline defender Mariah Alexander scored on a header after receiving a pass from nearly 40 yards away on a free kick from Ava Giovanola, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the 41st minute of play. The final 39 minutes of action remained scoreless as the Spartans (3-1-3) clinched a 1-0 win against the previously undefeated Wolves (5-1-1) on Sept. 24 at Eastlake High School in Sammamish. Eastlake nearly tied the game in the 54th minute during a scrum in front of the net, but Skyline escaped the threat unscathed.

Skyline’s keeper Anna Smith recorded the shutout. Skyline head coach Don Braman was impressed with Smith’s performance in a pressure packed game against a rival just two miles down 228th Avenue on the Sammamish plateau.

“We expect a lot out of our keepers and she (Anna) is fully capable. She was at the right place at the right time and made some big saves in the big moments of the game,” Braman said.

Braman said Emma Rohleder turned in a memorable contest against Eastlake.

“I really like the work Emma put in tonight. She wreaked havoc in so many ways and created so many opportunities for us,” he said. “I thought we were definitely the better attacking side. If we do our finishing work, it is not as interesting of a score line but at the end of the day we managed the win and we’re happy with that.”

Eastlake head coach Marc Wilson remained upbeat despite the first loss of the 2015 season for his squad.

“I’m not disappointed in them, I’m disappointed in the result. It is a long season and it is one game,” Wilson said. “My guess is we will ultimately end up seeing them down the road. It hurts though. You could see it in their eyes. They wanted to beat Skyline at home. We have 12 seniors on the roster who hadn’t beat Skyline in their four years here. We are going to remember this for awhile until we get to see them again. We’re a good, talented team and we will get better. The girls know what we stand for and how we play. We will be there at the end.”

Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@issaquahreporter.com