BY GERARDO BOLONG

Contributing Writer

PUYALLUP - Kennedy Catholic girls soccer will head into the state round of the 2017 Washington state high school girls soccer as the West Central III/Southwest Washington IV Bi-District 4A No. 3 seed after fighting mightily into a shootout before falling to Puyallup at Sparks Stadium on Sat., Nov.3.

On Tues., Nov. 7, Kennedy (14-1-3) starts the loser-out state round against Lake Stevens in a 7 p.m. encounter at Renton Memorial Stadium.

In the PK shootout, Viking scores in rounds one, three and four were matched up against Lancer scores in rounds one and four. Kennedy tied the score at 3-3 in the fifth round.

After the sixth round produced a 4-4 standoff, senior midfielder Emily Estrada sent her Viking shot into the back of the net for a 5-4 lead pending the Lancer's next shooter. The shot was heading toward the shooter's left side of goal until Vikes keeper Brooke Johnston dove to her right and just got a piece of the shot to end the struggle with a No. 1 seed for Puyallup (14-0-4). 

Regulation action featured no scoring, as did the pair of five-minute overtime periods.

Defense held the upper hand throughout the match up between the No. 4 Vikings and the No. 2 Lancers with the Lancers from Burien out shooting the Vikings 13-11

Both teams had good chances to score before the penalty kick shootout surfaced.

Kennedy goalkeeper Jaclyn Seifert saved a Brooke Mullins shot in front of the goal in the 44th minute.

Kennedy Catholic head coach Michelle Beattie had spoken about team strength when the players really get together and the fighting Lancers exhibited dynamism in the latter stages of the fray. Fourteen minutes after the Seifert save on Mullins, KC's freshman midfielder Natalie DeGagne torched a free kick only to have Puyallup keeper Johnston take a step for the save to force overtime.

With one minute remaining in the second five-minute overtime, senior forward Bailey Hall obtained a fighting chance to send Kennedy Catholic to the fore. Her free kick was up in the air and tumbling toward the top of the goal, but Johnston stretched up to divert the ball over the cross bar, necessitating the penalty kick shoot out final determination.