Highline played good soccer, not lacking intensity at the beginning and that meant bad news for Foster throughout in a girls soccer game won by the Pirates, 6-0, at Highline Stadium Tuesday.

The Pirates are going into the Seamount League playoffs as the fifth seed and will play the No.5 seed from South Puget Sound League 3A on Nov. 5. Foster’s season is through, sixth place, but only five teams qualify for post-season. Still, a quick word on Foster’s first season in the Seamount, having transferred from the 2A Nisqually.

“It was challenging yet rewarding,” said Heather Deleza, Foster coach, speaking of their entrance into a league, the Seamount, that has done well at state most years, thanks to Kennedy, and, others like Highline and Mount Rainier, through the years.

“It opened up a new door, having a few more teams to compete with.”

This game versus Highline was just not a good start for the Bulldogs, who saw the Pirates score in the first minute of play. Norma Lomeli, a senior, scored the first Pirates goal. Sweeper, senior Alannah Anderson hit the ball outside to sophomore Katie Bumpus, who passed up to Lomeli for the score, beating defenders and the keeper.

Goal two was from junior Kaitlyn Mendoza on a pass from Kelby Weiler into the 18-yard box for a dribble and shot blast, near-post, to make it 2-0.

Intensity has been a boon or a burden for the Pirates this season, if it has been there the Pirates have done well, and when it has lacked so has a good game played by the Pirates.

“When offense and defense work that (intensity) together, we have success,” said Anderson, a captain on the Pirates, who did well in the back thwarting the Bulldog forwards from scoring the few times that happened.

The Pirates scored next from Lela Stockley, who booted the ball into the six-yard box, and Lomeli tried to get a header on it to misdirect it but did not. But the Bulldogs’ keeper went for the header try and the ball sailed into the next deceptively to make it 3-0.

The Pirates’ fourth goal came from freshman Michelle Stolz, who made a great move on the outside right wing area, sprinting to a pass into the 18-yard box from Mendoza.

“Michelle is really fast and Kaitlyn led a good ball, and speed wins,” said Jeb Binns, the Pirates head coach who has got the Pirates to the postseason all his years there, which are five, he said.

Halftime came and went and the Bulldogs came out the aggressor, holding onto the ball longer than the Pirates, getting a shot off from 18 yards out by Amanda Mendoza and some good play from others like Amanda Mayers, both seniors.

The Bulldogs were not able to compete after that little burst as things again went the Pirates’ way..

“Foster had more intensity to start the second half and then we caught ourselves and started to play our game,” said Anderson.

The next goal came from Mendoza, 20 minutes into the second half, getting a nice pass through the defense from Weiler before dribbling from the 30-yard line into the 18-yard-box and blasting it into the net to make it 5-0.

“Kaitlyn had a hat trick,” said Binns.

And with that said, we know who must have scored the next goal since a hat trick means three goals by one player, and, only one, Mendoza, has two goals so far. So she had to get the third, and, she did, getting her third of the game six minutes later, dribbling in with the ball to the 18-yard box and blasting it after having received a nice long ball from Anderson to up the lead to 6-0.

“We are starting to play as a team, stringing passes together, playing great balls in and around people,” said Anderson.

Anderson spoke of the team’s struggles which have come against teams like Mount Rainier and Kennedy.

“We played hard soccer against them,” said Anderson. “We play hard soccer in the first half and then we don’t, That’s how those games went.”

She was speaking of how games went against the Kennedys and Mount Rainiers and other teams above them, like Lindbergh and Hazen.

“If we keep up the intensity, then we will play really well,” said Anderson.

This was a good game of intensity but for a little lapse, perhaps, to start the second half for the Pirates.

It was 27 shots for the game for the Pirates. Four for Foster.

“We needed to do this to get our offense clicking and build it up for the playoffs,” said Binns. “We passed the ball around well. We haven’t always done this. A good time to peak is at the end of the season.”

“One of our better games,” said Anderson. “It is good going into the playoffs off this game.”