It wasn’t a loser-out game, but it would be a nice moral victory for Evergreen Lutheran if they could beat Bear Creek’s Grizzlies for the right to be second place all alone in the Sea-Tac B Division or tied if lost. And the Eagles won it, 1-0, over the Redmond area private school at Starfire in Tukwila on the Fort Dent grounds.

The Eagles finished the regular season 6-6 overall and 3-3 in league, including winning and losing one to the Grizzlies by a 1-0 score both times. The Eagles and Bear Creek (2-4, 6-8) will both play at Everett or Edmonds-Woodway Saturday, Nov. 7 in loser-out games for the right to go on to the B state tournament.

“We played hard,” said Eagles coach Stan Cole, who directed this little Christian private school off 260th and Pacific Highway to a championship runners-up finish last November at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner -- a 1-0 loss that was not decided until a shootout.

This team’s had to play hard and find new players replacing four graduated seniors that were there last year but not this year, like Grace Lorette and Grace Bender.

“We lost four starters,” said Cole. “We’ve pretty much had to fill in with freshmen.”

And the Eagles are on a path for a great finish to this season. Who knows, maybe they will eclipse last year’s finish.

Katie Weber, a junior, played most of this game at sweeper for the Eagles and was brilliant back there, clearing out balls, making runs forward and distributing the ball to midfielders like Megume Poetter and Megan Valerio.

Weber likes her team, win or lose, and sees her team going far still this postseason.

“We work really well as a team and are going to the playoffs,” said Weber, who was moved to forward late in the game and nearly scored a goal. “We are going to give it all we have and at the end of the day I am always going to be so proud of these girls.”

State chances?

“Hopefully we win in the playoffs, and make it to state” said Weber.

Win state?

“I have no doubt that we can do it,” said Weber.

There were only three real good chances for the Eagles to score in this game, not including the one chance that became an actual goal.

The Eagles scored in the 11th minute as junior Kailey Fuegmann corner kicked the ball and it lifted nicely and the Bear Creek fullback guarding the near post misheaded it backwards and the ball went up and behind her.

The Bear Creek keeper desperately put her hands up to try and get it as it was dropping right toward the goal. Eagles players like Megan Valerio jumped up with the keeper to get it. The pressure worked! The keeper bobbled and dropped the ball that was miss-kicked out -- only a few feet clearance -- by a Grizzly defender inside the 6-yard box. And, waiting for the ball to possibly pop out her way was Poetter 10 yards out on the right side.

She one-touched it with the inside of her foot, sending the sphere flying through a couple Bear Creek defenders, and the keeper, sticking out a hand but not getting the blast hit solid by Poetter and into the net to make it 1-0.

Poetter was all over the place being effective in this game, started in the midfield but switched to sweeper the final 10 minutes – Weber’s spot -- as Weber went to a striker position up front.

“Megume played three different positions in this game and Katie, two,” said Cole. “I can switch some of them around. Those two are very versatile.”

After the score that did go in were all the close chances that did not, like in the 20th minute of the first half when Poetter, up front on left wing at the side of the 18 yard box, crossed a ball into the middle. Fuegmann ran onto it and from the penalty box area 12 yards out put it hard toward the goal but just over it.

“We had two opportunities that normally we would get in,” said Cole. “But not tonight.”

It depends how one looks at it, but another close chance was a great ball sent in from Fuegmann on the right side of the 18-yard box. After having got a nice ball fed forward from Addy Addleman. Fuegmann beautifully curved the ball right by a Bear Creek defender coming at her. The ball went right to the foot of Valerio and she kicked it over the goal from inside the 6-yard box.

Then the last real good scoring chance for the Eagles came amid a couple close plays and good saves from Lindsay Sandwith of the Eagles. In between was Weber’s. She got a bouncing cross ball from Valerio that she got a knee on enough to send it toward goal. But, again, like Fuegman’s earlier hit over the bar’s top, so went Weber’s.

Weber admitted that she could make a shot like that if she had hit it just a little better. The proof is in her past.

“It was so close,” said Weber.

Your knee got in the way of your foot?

“No, actually any body part is good enough to score a goal,” she said. “I actually scored a goal with my knee last year in our first state playoff game.”

OK. That settles it.

And, if this Eagles team can keep on playing hard, listening to each other around the ball and off the ball and to their coach strategizing well to move players around, then this team could go far. And, don’t forget Sandwith, their captain and keeper’s part.

Sandwith could be heard midway through the first half when maybe she sensed a little lag, “Ladies, go 100 percent to every ball, don’t walk.”

Sandwith does what she does for many reasons.

“I try,” said Sandwith. “That is one thing I look for. I want communication all over the field. That is what it takes to win.”

And now the real season starts and hopefully these Eagles can lift off and take flight for a fine state finish.