The Adna girl’s soccer team earned its second draw in the last three games, tying 1-1 against 3A Kelso on Monday.
Both teams had plenty of chances throughout the game, but it wasn’t until the 65th minute until Reagan Naillon opened the scoring and gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
Naillon’s goal was the breakthrough the Pirates (0-4-2) had been looking for, as they had outshot Kelso 9-5 in the first half and had been knocking at the door.
“To have as many shots as we did in the first half, you’d have hoped a few would have gone in,” coach Patrick Richardson said. “But we knew we could get the shots, so we just had to keep up the pressure.”
The Hilanders didn’t go quietly, however, and in the 78th minute, Kenzie Milligan drilled a free kick past the Adna wall and keeper to tie the game.
While Adna couldn’t preserve the shutout, Richardson applauded the play of keeper Bailey Naillon, who stepped in when the starting keeper was held out because of an illness. She finished the day with nine saves.
“I had to let her know about halfway through the school day that we were going to be calling on here,” Richardson said. “That’s a tough hole to fill at the last minute but she accepted the challenge and helped carry this team tonight.”
With a grueling non-league slate in the rear view mirror, the Pirates will now turn towards their league schedule.
To start, they’ll host Napavine on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
