Mount Rainier fought hard but the breaks opened up Kennedy Catholic’s way in a 3-0 girls soccer game at Highline Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The Lancers improved their undefeated record to 16-0-0 Seamount League and 17-0-0 overall in doing nothing to defeat its No. 2 current state ranking, one spot behind Everett – the team beat the Lancers (4-1) in the semifinals of the 3A state tournament last year.

Both teams now play the respective number seed from the South Puget Sound League 3A Division in the post-season playoffs Wednesday. Both teams put a lot of fight into this game and the Rams just couldn’t quite get a good enough blow. But there’s time for more punches to be pulled at state soon.

“It was a good showing for the girls,” said Rams first year coach Gary Hunter. “They needed to play well to go into the playoffs with confidence that they can play with the best teams.”

This game was played mostly in the midfield area with few shots on goal by either team in the first half. The Rams took a total of three shots on goal while the Rams got off two. Keepers made about the same number of saves as well, with it 4-3 favoring Kennedy.

So, after the scoreless tie going into halftime, with each team doing little damage to the other, the second half started out more of the same at the 50:49 mark it was Dee Dee Brown, a freshman Lancer, taking a drop pass from junior forward and team-leading scorer Rebekah Kurle. Brown chip shot it from 25 yards out and in to make it 1-0.

After Brown got her team going, doing a good job from her left fullback spot coming forward to make something happen. The next Lancer score pieced itself together via senior Katie Dunphy’s pass down the left sideline to Kurle on the left corner 18-yard-box area. Kurle crossed to middle and a weak clearing of the ball inside the 18 allowed Alexa Giftopolous to send a strong shot home and make it 2-0.

The third Lancer goal came two minutes before the 80 minute regulation ended. Brown again made things happen, crossing a dangerous arcing ball into the middle from 30 yards out on the left side. Kurle was there to beat the keeper and defender in the way of each other and knock it into the net and make it 3-0.

The first half was a toss-up for who was playing better as Lancers’ coach Doug Stamnes noted his team was “not playing particularly well in the first half.”

But a talk at halftime changed things up.

“At halftime, coach told us to pass the ball around more and spread out the field -- and just have fun,” said Brown.

All three goals came from plays starting outside the field and moving inward, just like Stamnes said to do.

“We were not patient at first,” said Stamnes. “It took us awhile to draw them (Rams defense) out a little bit.”

And that is what happened. And the Lancers keep rolling on while the Rams look like a team that could upend someone in the playoffs.
Even though they didn’t beat the Lancers, they played well enough, with a different thing happening here, a change in a bounce there.

This could have been a different game, including a couple crosses into the middle by Rams midfielders like Alexis Gregerson. They were strong crosses that just unfortunately went to the keeper and if pulled out or dropped back to help behind could have made for a nice ball chipped into the middle.

That is a little how the Lancers ended up scoring a couple of their goals -- sort of dangerous crosses and balls put into the opportunity knocks area of the 18-yard box.

“Yeah,” said Hunter, “We crossed the ball a little too close to their keeper.”

So on we go. To the playoffs!