Perhaps it was a letdown following a big win over rival Issaquah.
Maybe it was just one of those nights.
Skyline girls soccer coach Don Braman certainly didn’t have an answer Tuesday night after his Spartans dropped their first KingCo 4A game of the season, 1-0 to Woodinville.
“We didn’t bring the energy we normally have, and didn’t have a lot of answers tonight,” he said.
Both teams struggled to find any kind of rhythm in the rematch of last year’s 4A state title game — a contest Skyline won to earn its first ever state championship.
At the end of the first half, each team had five shots on goal. None of those shots provided any real scoring threat.
Amidst swirling winds atop the Plateau, both teams continued struggle through most of the second half, until Woodinville finally capitalized in the 77th minute.
On an attempted clear from the Skyline end of the field, the ball bounced off of Falcon senior Brianna Sweeney. The deflection landed at the 25-yard line, right at the foot of a wide open Gabby Morgan. The senior midfielder took one step, and let loose on a shot that sailed into the left upper corner of the net past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Tina Vargas.
“It was a good finish for them, and a situation we should have never put ourselves in,” Braman said.
Skyline had some solid looks of its own in the closing minutes of the second half, both off of the foot of sophomore Jackie Wilson. In the 72nd minute Wilson just fired a shot that skipped just left of the goal. She had a volley attempt seconds later that sailed over the top of the goal.
The loss left Skyline at 6-1 in league, and 10-2 overall. The Spartans last loss was a 2-0 defeat to Westview of Beaverton, Ore., on Sept. 18.
“Tonight we played uninspired,” Braman said. “Other teams in this league are strong enough to step up and beat you at any time. Woodinville is certainly a strong team in our league, and they got a good chance late in the game and scored.”
Skyline still sits in first place in the KingCo 4A, currently holding a tiebreaker over Issaquah (6-1, 9-2), who they beat 2-0 on Oct. 8.
Braman said he hopes the loss will serve as a wake-up call to his team as it continues to pursue its goal of earning the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.
“Sometimes you need to get kicked in the pants to get it figured out,” he said.
Skyline plays at Inglemoor Thursday night and hosts Lake Washington at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Maris leads Issaquah to victory
Kristin Maris scored a career-high four goals Tuesday night, helping Issaquah defeat Eastlake 4-0 in a battle for second place in the KingCo 4A. Two of the scores came on penalty kicks, and she added the other two in the second half off assists from Audrey Thomas and Abby Glasgow.
Eagle goalkeeper Brooke Miller recorded her third shutout of the season.
Issaquah improved to 6-1 in league and 9-2 overall. Eastlake dropped to 5-2 in league and 7-4-1 overall. Both teams have four league games remaining.
Seattle Prep routs Eastside Catholic
Seattle Prep earned redemption for a loss earlier in the season Tuesday afternoon, beating Eastside Catholic 5-0. The Panthers received goals from five different players, including three second-half scores. The Crusaders dropped to 1-3-2 in the Metro and 6-3-3 overall with five games left to play.
