Iron sharpened iron.

Playing toe to toe and all-out for all the 50/50 balls on the beautiful Starfire field turf for a good-sized crowd on both sides, Kennedy and Mount Rainier wrote a good script for soccer excitment, won by the Lancers, 2-1, over the Rams in both team’s regular season ender at Starfire in Tukwila Wednesday.

Kennedy won the Seamount with a 15-0-1 record while the Rams settled for only their second loss of the season in finishing 12-2-2. The Lancers looked to have the season wrapped up before this game, per their record of one less tie than the Rams coming in -- and one less loss, too.

No matter, it was a fun game to watch whether it meant anything to decide first place in the standings or not.

State is next, with the Lancers pitted against SPSL 3A No. 1 seed Sumner Nov. 5, for a quick crossover game of first place teams, while the Rams are the No.2 seed from the Seamount and will play No.2 SPSL 3A, Bonney Lake.

“A tough game like that is a good way to go into the playoffs,” said Lancers coach Doug Stamnes.

That’s what Rams coach Jerry Capodanno said, too, in a different matter of words.

“That’s the kind of game I want. These are the games that make you better,” said Capodanno.

In the first two minutes of play, the Lancers were better off, taking a one-goal lead on junior midfielder Shey Thomassen being in the right place at the right time. She played in a deflected ball off the Rams keeper which made it 1-0, Lancers.

“I was there,” said Thomassen.

Good thing there, but what made this game better than most was what happened next. Five minutes later, the Rams matched the high-powered play of the Lancers with their own score. Clarissa Strayer scored off a Shelby Blair kick, again, with a deflection score of doing a good job not giving up on a ball to the keeper. That made it 1-1.

This game was back-and-forth throughout, and neither team really achieved a dominant control of the 80 minutes of play.

True to Capodanno’s want.

“We will continue to go into the playoffs and continue to play angle passing, possession, going hard for every ball, tough tackling, getting the ball and finishing, taking advantage of our chances,” he said.

The game was back-and-forth after those two scores, with the next best chance of a score from Strayer 19 minutes into the first half. Alertly, she intercepted a Lancers free kick pass going across the midfield. Stamnes could not have liked that, and, speedily went Strayer to the ball. She was all alone after that, in a 1-on-1 with Lancers keeper, Chelsea Lockhart. As Lockhart came out of goal, Strayer booted it near-post from the penalty-kick area. And the ball glanced off the shin of Lockhart just enough to narrowly miss going into the net near post. Lockhart cut off the angle nicely, going straight out a little right, making Strayer choose near post or nothing.

Could anything been done differently?

“I could have cut the ball better,” said Strayer. “I cut inside and shot it off the keeper.”

Strayer cut well but Lockhart stayed with her and the ball is maybe the best way to put that close play.

“That could have changed everything,” said Capodanno. “She’s a hard spirited girl, has a lot of stamina, power, and determination. She works hard and gets a lot of playing time.”

Capodanno noted she led the Rams in scoring

But it didn’t, and, if nothing else, it woke up the Lancers that they needed to go all out in this one, not saying either they weren’t to that point -- they were -- but maybe a better way to put it is they stepped it up a notch. The next 10 minutes were theirs for the red and white clad ladies as they got three shots on goal, pressuring, pressuring, pressuring. Alas. None scored.

The first of three good chances came from freshman Kirsten Olson getting a shot off with 15 minutes until halftime. Next was senior Amy Holland having a free kick sail just wide of the post, and third was junior Emily Mitchell crossing a nice ball to the middle for a chest trap perfectly by sophomore Rebekah Kurle standing inside the 18.

Kurle put it imperfectly over the top of the crossbar on this try, as she had a couple other good opportunities to score in this game that she missed from point-blank range.

So three tries in the final 15 minutes for the Lancers and no goals.

Quickly, the Lancers would erase that memory, as Olson stood in the middle of the six-yard box and waited for the excellently crossed ball from right wing Julia Besagno. Olson headed it in to make it 2-1, Lancers.

Ten minutes into the second half, the Lancers also had a great chance to score in a 1-on-1. It was just like Strayer’s try in the first half. The Lancers’ Kurle was the one. She dribbled into the 18-yard box all alone and took a shot near post, from just inside the six-yard box, and the Rams’ keeper saved it brilliantly.

Both teams’ goal scorers had things to say after this one that was the Lancers’ senior night, which included Holland and Lockhart as well as Brittany Carlson, who made a great save late in the game standing on the goal line and heading out a sure-goal header from the Rams’ Shelby Blair on an open goal. Jasmine Lambert and Lia Swartout are also seniors. All of these players did well. Swartout, to name one, was challenged several times in this game on the right fullback side and turned away every and all challengers.

Thommasen said, asked about her team’s play in this one, “It was OK. We’ve played a lot better.”

Scored better anyway, as in 16 Seamount conference games the Lancers scored 104 goals. Defense has done better too, letting up its fourth goal of the season, with one of the others from a 1-1 tie in mid-season to these Rams. This game would have been for all the Seamount League marbles had not the Rams lost to Lindbergh 3-0 early in the season. They did tie Lindbergh, 3-3, midway through the season, which speaks of the girls’ effort and the good coaching adjustments of Capodanno, who plays all kinds of combinations out there successfully, as does Stamnes.

The combinations just couldn’t score, for either side, with the edge in chances going to the Lancers, 6-3.

“We had a few chances that didn’t go in,” said Olson.

Chances aside, What could have been done better for the Lancers to have played better?

“We could have passed more, and passed quicker,” said Thomassen.

Next is state. These teams both should do well. Meeting for a third good game should not be out of sight.