Perseverance under pressure on Saturday, Nov. 15, enabled the No. 1 ranked Class 3A John F. Kennedy girls soccer team to climb upset minded Mount Si in crisp, but dry conditions at Highline Memorial Stadium in Burien. Rebekah Kurle’s header in the 62nd minute gave the Lancers (20-0-1) a 2-1 state quarterfinal victory against the Wildcats (10-4-4) of the Snoqualmie Valley School District and left Kennedy within two victories of the state championship.

Battling in a 1-1 slugfest, Kennedy ascended to the lead when midfielder Julia Besagno adroitly kicked a pass into the middle for Kurle.

“Julia passed the ball in and I got a run inside to tip the ball with a header,” a delighted Kurle explained. “We were just passing the ball around the defense.”

The view from the passer also afforded excellent observations.

“The shot was a beauty,” said Besagno. “It was hard. For the entire game, we were trying to get the balls to the forwards. We gave everything we had. It helps just get along well with each other.”

In a mirror image of their minutes of domination in the first half, the Lancers valiantly tried to seal the deal with another goal. Kennedy controlled the flow without scoring any additional goals until the final three minutes ensued.

Mount Si mounted a frantic, final assault that kept the defense on its heels trying to block and clear dangerous passes. Surviving steadfastly, John F. Kennedy breathed a sigh of relief when the official’s whistle finally called an end to the survival of the fittest clash.

Defender Britney Carlson swept the ball away constantly with excellent help from her besieged teammates. In the final verdict, Kennedy carried the day against an unrelenting foe.

“This was really exciting,” recalled Carlson. “They were so tough. Give kudos to them. We had to claw and scratch all the way to the final seconds.”

Opening action featured the Mount Si Wildcats attempting to aggressively attack the stalwart Lancer defense. As Kennedy settled in, it took charge with a salvo of shots on goal. Susan Hildebrandt, Katy Dunphy, Amy Holland and Kurle had the best opportunities to score. The forwards were able to funnel away from their Wildcat defenders, while Mount Si had difficulty getting off the marks presented by the Lancers’ dexterous defenders.

In the 15th minute, one shining moment for Kennedy surfaced in the form of a formidable striker. Maneuvering into a clearing area, Kurle launched a shot from 25 yards on the right side. Rising high and out of the keeper’s reach, the ball settled into the left corner of the net for a Lancer lead.

“First, I raced left. Then, I got the ball on the line, cut back to my left foot and kicked it in,” recalled Kurle.

Kennedy began methodically mauling away with its heavy artillery. As the bombardment continued, the Lancer midfielders continually pushed up and sent the ball forward. The ground passing was less in evidence than the high, leading passes. Despite tilting the field its way, the halftime score was only 1-0.

“Our ground passing was not there,” said Kennedy head coach Doug Stamnes. “We were not able to finish. This was a typical playoff game with nerves. We didn’t do some things as well as we should, but the girls hung tough.”

Hanging tough turned into the appropriate theme of the second half struggle.With all momentum in their favor, the Kennedy Lancers recoiled in shock when Mount Si’s Nikki Stanton launched a 29-yard penalty kick from the right hash mark. True to its mark, the blast was lined high and out of the reach of goalkeeper Chelsea Lockhart and buried itself into the right side of the net in the game’s 46th minute.

Excited by its sizeable throng of home fans, Mount Si dug in to meet the upcoming Lancer onslaught head on. Bruising forays into enemy territory characterized the efforts both teams left on the field in a prelude to the final, fiery conclusion.

“There were times when the game went back and forth,” stated Carlson about the fierce encounter against an unrelenting foe. “This year we have chemistry and we all get along so well. That got us through.”