The W.F. West girls soccer team’s season came to a close Tuesday at home, with a rough start leading to a 3-1 loss to Hockinson in a loser-out game in the 2A District 4 tournament.
“I think if we had played a full 80 minutes like we did that last 40 minutes, we’d have come out ahead in this game,” W.F. West coach Allen Anderson said. “And Hockinson is a really good team.”
The Hawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half hour, breaking the scoreless deadlock in the fourth minute. A penalty kick in the 20th doubled the advantage, and a free kick goal in the 28th left the hosts grasping for anything to get ahold of to draw momentum back.
But Hockinson didn’t let up its pressure and didn’t allow W.F. West much chance at all to counter. While Hawks goalie Ashley Suva didn’t have to make a save until nearly halftime, she played a huge role as a sweeper keeper, charging out of her box to clear any Bearcat long ball long enough to get by Hockinson’s high defensive line.
“We had moments that we adjusted to it, but it was hard with the amount of pressure that Hockinson was putting on us in the middle third,” Anderson said. “Sometimes we had no choice but to play it in the air. That keeper plays really well as a sweeper keeper because their defense doesn’t like to drop; they like to suffocate you with their presence in their attacking half of the field.”
Eventually, though, the Hawks started to press up a bit too far, and W.F. West found its chance. It started in the 47th minute, when a long run to get to an over-the-top ball got the Bearcats into the 18-yard box, when a foul led to a penalty kick, which Cameron Sheets converted to get the hosts on the board.
That kicked off a solid 10 minutes of Bearcat pressure, with Suva being called upon to make multiple saves against point-blank shots — and taking advantage of some kindness from the crossbar. Hockinson returned to a greater share of possession as the half went on, before W.F. West threw everything it had up front for one last-ditch effort, but the needed goals never came.
“We created some really good chances, we just unfortunately weren’t able to have the right finishing touch on it to put the ball in the back of the net,” Anderson said. “Nevertheless, I’m still proud of the girls.”
W.F. West ends its season with a 10-8 record, having gone 8-4 in 2A EvCo play. The Bearcats will graduate seven players: Sheets, Maleah Wink, Lauren Moeckel, Taylor Isom, Maddie Shields, Brielle Etter, and Hannah Meier.
“This was a good outing for our girls,” Anderson said. “It’s sad to see it end, but I am very proud of them tonight.”
