A victory over a rival is sweet by itself.
Factor in a KingCo 4A soccer championship, redemption from a regular-season loss, and an automatic berth to the state tournament, and Issaquah’s post-game celebration Tuesday night explains itself.
“It’s crazy, absolutely crazy,” said junior forward Margaret Rauch, who scored two goals in the Eagles’ 3-1 victory over rival Skyline. “I don’t know what to say. We worked really hard … Skyline’s a great team, we just worked really hard and we just worked our butts off.”
Issaquah led from start to finish, with Rauch getting them on the board first in the 26th minute. Taking a pass from Dayna Talley, Rauch collided mid-air with Skyline goalkeeper Jill Stika and defender Kayla Shim. Rauch was able to control a deflection from 5 yards out, and knocked in a slow-rolling shot.
She gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the first minute of the second half, scoring off a deflection in the goalbox.
“She’s just a brawler,” Issaquah head coach Tom Bunnell said. “Just the way she plays, she’s always scrapping for everything she gets.”
Skyline responded less than a minute later with an unassisted goal from Michelle Bretl. One minute later, Issaquah’s Kristin Maris punched in a penalty kick to round out a series of three goals in 2 minutes, 13 seconds.
“That was a pretty couple hectic minutes … you don’t see that every day,” Skyline head coach Don Braman said.
Issaquah (14-2) earned the No. 1 seed from District 2/4, and will host a state game next Tuesday, with a time and opponent to be determined.
“We definitely came out with an attitude and have exceeded all expectations this year,” Rauch said. “No one expected this and we’ve put just put it to the metal and we’re just going to keep going.”
Skyline (13-4) hosts the Greater St. Helens League No. 2 team at 2 p.m., Saturday in a winner-to-state, loser-out game.
“We just got to put this one behind us and look forward,” Braman said.
Eastlake moves on
Eastlake kept its hopes for a state-tournament run alive Tuesday night, beating Woodinville 3-2. Allie Beahan scored 1:06 remaining in the second overtime. Pushing the ball to the right side of the feild, Beahan let loose on a shot from 15-yards out and booted it into the left upper corner.
The Wolves also received a goal from Abby Frenkel, and an own-goal from Woodinville. Eastlake will travel to face the Greater St. Helens No. 1 at 2 p.m., Saturday in a winner-to-state, loser-out game.
