South Puget Sound League 4A South third-place team Decatur and second place Todd Beamer played even for 90 minutes of girls high school soccer action with neither rival getting to boast afterward over the other.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie on the Titans' home turf Saturday.

"They have some strong players," said Titans head coach Joel Lindberg. "It was a tough, physical game. Fun to play a game on our field, too."

A large crowd watched this one up on the grassy knoll overlooking the field. 

Gators head coach Christy Gross signaled the same thought as Lindberg.

"It could have gone either way,” Gross said. “It was a good game among friends. A lot of the girls from both teams were hugging each other afterward."

So, with the tie, Beamer continues a thin hold on second place in the SPSL 4A South, going to 6-1-1 while the Gators stayed one-half game back of their rivals at 5-1-2. This game completed the first half of the league season and both will play each other again but not until the very last game of the second half of the season on Oct. 29.

In this game, the Titans scored first, quickly, notching a netter in the 6th minute as senior forward and leading goal scorer and assister Holland Crook -- with 10 goals, six assists so far this season -- passed to Mackenzie Hickel who put it in to make it 1-0, Titans.

"Holland slotted the ball through," said Lindberg of Crook, who was the 2007 player of the year as a sophomore for both major dailies in the Pacific Northwest – the Seattle Times and Tacoma News Tribune -- while helping her team get to the state championship, losing to Eastlake in a penalty kick shootout that same year.

"A little confusion," Gross said. "We made a switch and left the right flank open briefly. And they capitalized."

The Gators evened things up in the 34th minute of still the first half as Rachel Markey, a senior captain, put one in.

Sometimes a team can get a little down from being scored on so quickly, but Gross' team did anything but that, fighting tooth and nail after that until a probable plum became fruit for their labor with about five minutes left in the first half.

"No, this team has a lot of heart, they don't quit," said Gross. "We played ER (current first place team in SPSL 4A South) the other day and we were sick. We were down 4-0 and still came back and put two goals in. These girls never quit."

The most interesting note for this game seemed to be that Crook, who is Beamer's all-everything player, did not touch the ball the final 15 minutes of the game, in crunch time when her team needed it most. It didn't look like she was quitting, just sitting with the ball passed around her or just not near her. And Crook is the type of player that needs the ball passed to her for her to be her deadliest.

"Yeah, they (Gators) played a lot in the air and did a good job of keeping it out of the middle," said Lindberg.

Crook didn't hardly even touch the ball the last half of the 40 minute second half?

"She had a hard time," said Lindberg.

Beamer made the most threats from the 30 to 15 minute time frame of the second half, with a couple tries, including a 65th minute nice cross by freshman Jasmine Brilliante playing right wing.

The ball sailed into the middle and was headed by sophomore Tiara Fentress wide of the near post. Another time, a few minutes after that Fentress off-goal header, was Brilliante crossing it again and it dangerously went into the middle and bounced around like a pinball but was cleared by the Gators sweeper, Jennifer Kanesta, finally. So nobody knocked in both those chances and maybe the somebody that could of – Crook --was way back at the 18-yard box area.

Crook with the soccer ball anywhere within 30 yards of the goal --left, right, center -- is grounds for immediate dismissal of a shot into the net without being stopped or being fantastically saved by the keeper. But none of that happened this final 30 minutes and with that said is a good answer why Crook was a non-factor the final 20 minutes of the game.

Sydney Patin is a Gators freshman but she was given the duty of being Crook's shadow. That she was.

"Sydney shut her (Crook) down well," said Gross. "Rylie (Buckholz) and Rachel (Markey) both helped out in the middle, but Sydney shut her down. She's playing well beyond her years."

From the 15 minute mark on, the ball quit being 90 percent in the Gators’ side of the field and transferred itself to the Beamer side of the field mostly. Buckholz, the other senior captain for the Gators complementing Markey, made a free kick shot from 30 yards out, a direct kick that Meghan Graf, the Gators’ keeper, raised high for and her 6-1 frame bobbled the ball in mid-air up high. But she handled it.

Then, off a foul, Buckholz took a shot that sailed a little wide and high over the crossbar, again from right around 30 yards away from the goal straightaway.

The second direct kick, around the 10 minute mark, was set up via a trip on Buckholz as she dribbled by a defender and the player made a comment that Buckholz fell on her own, not tripped.

"Are you kidding me," said the Beamer defender. "I stepped in front of her and she tripped."

Well, maybe that was true. It was a call that could have been obstruction on offense or defense, but the referee is not someone to talk back to as it tends to get a player out of the game. "I think we got a little out of our game mentally," said Lindberg. "You let the referees get to you."

Lindberg went on to talk about some “great attacks” that Beamer presented in this game like the nice play through of the ball through the middle and out to Brilliante a couple times on the right wing for nice crosses.

That, too, does go to say, not to mention show, that this Beamer team can still be an effective team with Crook having an off-game. After all, she is tied for the league lead in points, 27, with Audrey Sullivan of Emerald Ridge. Crook does currently lead the league in goals, 10-9, over Sullivan.
"I don't know how many sets of crutches you noticed walking across the field afterward, but I am missing at least four of my starters that will be returning," said Gross. "In this game, for those girls that were out there to battle that hard, I am so proud of them for stepping up. They are filling in for each other and that shows our heart."

The Gators started off winning this season.

"We've won our first five games, undefeated," said Buckholz, who maneuvered the ball in the middle well for the Gators and took a couple good shots late, as above noted, that could have gone in on perfect hits on the ball toward goal.

But after the good start, injuries, including to the starting keeper, have slowed down the Gators some.

"We had a lot of girls sick," said Buckholz, who mentioned the injury bug, too. "A lot of girls down with the cold, flu, one girl with blood in her lungs, a concussion...So, I’m hoping to have everyone fully recovered next week."

Patin was pretty good on Crook?

"She was marking up on her," said Buckholz. "She was closing up. She's done really well. She's a freshman."
Beamer had their chances in this game.

"They are a respectable team," said Buckholz.

But, despite maybe more notoriety coming to Beamer, which may be a victim of it's own success as much as anything else, the Gators are playing great ball, too, this season.

"I believe this team is full of potential," said Gross. "I think they will surprise a lot of people."

How surprising are we talking, coach?

State champs?

"We will make a run at state," said Gross.

Pressure's on and, in more ways than one, starting with now the second half of the season as both battle all the other teams in their league before what should be another great matchup on the 29th that could, if both's sweepers and fullbacks, by committee, can tame current first place Emerald Ridge's speed up front and get their main players involved as well.

The last game of the season could decide who is the league champ, and beyond.

Lindberg spoke to his girls about containing their emotions toward the referees and also his team gets its next whack at the only team that beat them this season -- Emerald Ridge.

"We have a big week head ahead of us," said Lindberg, his Titans girls listening while changing out of shoes, shin guards, sitting on the sideline turf after the game versus Decatur. "We have ER again (Oct. 9) so we have to keep our mind in the game."

Decatur's next game is Thursday, Oct. 8 against Puyallup before hopefully getting a little revenge on Curtis, whom Gross said her team thoroughly outplayed the Vikings, 'bombarding their goal.' But could not finish.