By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Kennedy Catholic blew by Foster, 10-0, in a Seamount League girls soccer game at the Starfire complex in Tukwila Thursday.

The Lancers found little resistance scoring after the first 10 minutes of play yielded no results.

The Lancers, typically, win the Seamount League, but last year Hazen won it.

"That's the first time that's happened in a while," said Lancers head coach Doug Stamnes.

That's news, indeed, as Stamnes has been at Kennedy coaching soccer as well as teaching for a long time -- over 30 years -- with much success, having brought two boys state championships and five girls titles to this private Catholic high school in Burien.

Butall that success went dormant last year with it's runner-up finish to Hazen and not even a trip to the state playoffs for the Lancers.

This season's been tough so far winning games out of league for the Lancers, who lost to Kings, 2-0, opening up the season, and then 1-0 to Burlington-Edison and 5-0 to Seattle Prep.

Now, to put things in perspective, those three teams, likely, will make the playoffs and could make deep runs at state this season. So, losing to these caliber teams is an OK thing to have happen.

Stamnes was behindthat kind of non-league schedule happening.

"We purposefully did that to expose our players to some of the better teams," said Stamnes.

So, the Seamount League season is just getting underway now, with the 3A state playoffs just around the bend, in November.

From those games played so far, and, this one, against Foster, too, presumably, Stamnes likes what he's seen.

"The girls are improving every game," he said. "Our goal is always the same. We want to win league and do well in state."

Stamnes' team is led this season by it's captains, who are Ashley Cusack, Mary Witkowski and Kit Bruner.

"I have great captains, all three do a wonderful job," said Stamnes.
From the start of this 2014 girls soccer season to now a captain on the Lancers' team, junior midfielder Kit Bruner -- who scored the sixth goal of the game against Foster -- said that she and her teammates have learned some things from that rough non-league opening schedule.

"We learned that we need to communicate more," said Bruner. "We have a lot of young players, seven freshman, six are starters. It's taken some time, putting them into the starting lineup.

The freshman on the team are goalkeeper/forward Jackie Seifert, defender Kalina Cordero, midfielder/forward Yianna French, defender Clair Varden, forward Bailey Hall, defender/forward Sophia Ricci and forward Lauren Phelps.

Those freshmen proved they can score goals against the Bulldogs.
The Lancers shot the ball on goal a number of times in the first few minutes of play against Foster, with no luck, coined with Bulldogs sophomore goalie, Lwam Woldermariam, making some good saves in that time.

Then, in the 10th minute, Lancers senior midfielder and captain Mary Witkowski struck for the game's first goal. She chipped the ball in past the Bulldogs' keeper from just inside the 18-yard box for a 1-0 Lancers lead.

Two minutes later Phelps scored, making it a 2-0 game. She accepted a nice through-pass from sophomore midfielder Aya Tourangeau about 30 yards out and dribbled into the 18-yard box circle before blasting the ball home to make it 2-0.

Lancers sophomore Cameron Mackenzie scored next, in the 17th minute of play, and the following goal, three minutes later, came from a penalty kick by Mackenzie. The fifth goal was by Jackie Seifert on an inside close shot with four minutes left in the first half, staking the Lancers to a 5-0 lead.

The Lancers scored goals in the second half by Bruner, Cusack, Nicole Wilber, Ana Olson and Katie French. It did take six minutes into the half for the Lancers first score as Woldemariam made four saves before the fifth blast found the back of the net off the foot of Bruner.
"Lwam did a great job, this is only her second game," said Bulldogs head coach Ray Schriber.

Schriber noted that his team has had it rough from the start of the season.

"We have had a bunch of injuries, but we have looked a lot better since day one, which was also the first game for a lot of our players," said Schriber. "We had only four players on the first day of tryouts so we've come a long ways."

Now, the Bulldogs have a full 20 girl roster and hopefully can win some games in the Seamount League from here on out.