Owls ousted by King's in state quarterfinals

A second-half flurry of goals by King’s put an end to the Overlake girls soccer team’s deepest run at the Class 1A state tournament since 2001, when they lost in the title game.

The Knights scored three second-half goals on the way to 3-0 win in a state quarterfinal matchup Friday night at King’s in Seattle. The Owls, who were ousted by King’s last fall, finished the 2008 campaign with a 14-7-1 record. King’s improved to 19-2 and will play in the state semifinals on Friday.

“It was a pretty tough battle,” said Overlake coach Sally Goodspeed. “King’s is a very talented team. We had some chances, but would have liked to see more.”

The Owls held their own in the first half against the talented Knights as the two teams battled to a scoreless halftime tie. But King’s opened up the scoring early in the second half on a perfectly executed corner kick by Kendal Thoreson to Kelsey Christianson, who scored the goal. “The corner (kick) is their forte, and they made a great play,” Goodspeed said.

That goal put an end to the Owls’ incredible streak of four straight shutouts in the postseason, led by goalkeeper Ceci Votta and the stingy, aggressive Overlake defense.

“We’re pretty proud of ourselves, four shutouts in a row in the playoffs a great stretch,” Goodspeed said. “We’re really pleased with the effort we put out there this year and playing some really great soccer.”

It was Overlake’s third year in a row going to the 1A state tournament, and the Owls were looking to exact some revenge against King’s, who knocked them out last year in the first round.

Goodspeed said that the 1A Emerald City league is “tough” and that finishing in second place for the regular season was “an awesome accomplishment” for her girls, many of whom will be returning next season.

“We have five seniors who graduate who made solid contributions over their four years in the program,” she said. “We have 13 returners, including a lot of starters, a solid core.”

Redmond Reporter Sports Reporter Tim Watanabe can be reached at twatanabe@redmond-reporter.com or (425) 867-0353, ext. 5054.

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