It felt like only a matter of time before the Tigers got on the board.

In the first 70 minutes of Napavine’s Round of 16 matchup against Okanogan on Wednesday, the Tigers had put several shots on net and maintained a presence in and around the Okanogan box. Still, the game remained scoreless.

In the final 10 minutes, C2BL MVP Hannah Fay came through with not one, but two goals to lift Napavine to a 2-1 win to put the Tigers through to the state quarterfinals. It’ll be Napavine’s first appearance in a state quarterfinal since 2012.

“They’re just so resilient,” Napavine coach John Bates said. “They just never say die. It wasn’t our best game, but we pulled it out.”

Fay’s goals were similar, as she beat her defender to the ball before sliding it past a charging keeper.

The first came in the 71st minute, and it seemed to be the one that would send the Tigers through. Okanogan responded immediately, though, as Alta Bauer connected off a corner to tie the game just two minutes later.

“We were too excited and we didn’t get back,” Fay said.

The energy shifted again just five minutes later when Fay scored her second. The last Okanogan defender nearly cleared it before it crossed the goal line, but it glided across the wet turf and into the net.

“I think everyone really wanted this one because we’ve never made it this far,” Fay said. “I think everybody just kind of put it on.”

When the final whistle blew, the girls converged near midfield, while Bates simply threw his hands in the air.

“I’m happy for the girls more than anything,” Bates said. “The work they’ve put in, it’s been a great season.”

Napavine (16-2) has now won 16 games in a row after losing its first two against 1A Montesano and 2A R.A. Long. The Tigers had their share of blowouts throughout the regular season, but each of their last three postseason wins have come by one goal each.

“It’s new territory to these girls,” Bates said. “It’s a different kind of animal. You just gotta keep plugging away. If you want, you can extend your season a little bit.”

Napavine keeper Taylen Evander made three saves in net, while Okanogan’s Addison Brown made 12 saves to keep the Bulldogs in striking distance.

Next up for the Tigers is either Brewster or Northwest Christian (Colbert) on either Friday or Saturday. 

The winner will advance to the state semifinals on Friday, Nov. 22 at Federal Way Memorial Stadium. Both semifinals, the third-place game, and the state championship game will be played in Federal Way on that day and Saturday, Nov. 23.