The W.F. West girls soccer team won its fourth game in a row on Tuesday, topping Black Hills 3-0 on the grass at Bearcat Stadium in Chehalis.
W.F. West coach Kevin Schultz said that the Bearcats like to be more direct offensively on the grass, and it worked on Tuesday late in the first half, as all three Bearcat goals came in a nine-minute stretch before the break.
Izzy Teeter scored the games’ first goal in the 25th minute, only a few minutes after she entered the game, and Reese Mishler made it 2-0 just three minutes later. In the 34th minute, Ashlen Gruginski scored off an assist from Lauren Kelley.
“We had had a really good half up to that point,” Schultz said. “It’s really fun to see when they start to click and make some pressure.”
Schultz commended both Teeter and Kelley for what they brought to the offense, and he also credited Kenley Fragner and Violet Ratke for controlling the back line and preventing too many Black Hills chances.
When the Wolves did get through and put a shot on net, Charlee Nelson was there to make the save, and she posted another clean sheet, her fifth EvCo shutout this season.
“She just does such a good job of reading the play, coming off her line, and winning the ball,” Schultz said. “And she’s so strong going to the ground on both sides.”
Tumwater is the only EvCo team that W.F. West hasn’t shut out to this point, and the T-Birds are the only EvCo team to beat the Bearcats.
Those two teams will meet again on Thursday in Chehalis.
“We love getting to compete,” Schultz said. “We know it’s gonna be a challenge … We wanna go out, put our best foot forward, and give our best effort.”
