In the near future, there’s going to be a new way for the history of W.F. West High School athletics to be viewed by alumni, fans and respected Chehalis community members.
From team photos of state championship teams to the trophies and banners, the rich history of the Bearcats will be displayed in a way to showcase the accomplishments.
The hallmark sports of softball, baseball, boys and girls basketball plus football, may draw the most attention.
What about girls soccer? Didn’t they record back-to-back Class 2A District 4 titles in 2011-12?
Correct.
So their spots are locked up, right?
Not quite.
So which team will be shown for girls soccer?
The group that made history on Wednesday night.
Ignited by two goals from Mirabel Burger and another stellar night by the defense pushed W.F. West towards a 4-1 triumph for the program’s first career state tournament victory on the Tiger Stadium turf.
“It is pretty cool, man,” Bearcats head coach Kevin Schultz said. “They keep setting the bar each time out there. We’re playing better each time. Just super proud of them.”
When the Bearcats won the two district titles, they went on the road in the first round of state. Fourteen years later, they returned and now are a win away from the Final Four held in Federal Way.
The opponent for Saturday’s quarterfinal is arguably the most daunting. Two-time runner-up, top-seeded and District 4 champion Columbia River awaits in Vancouver for an afternoon first kick.
“We’re ecstatic,” junior forward Izzy Teeter said. “We need to be determined to win and still paly up to our full potential.”
There were questions coming into the season about the roster and how it would gel.
Kenley Fragner was the lone defensive starter back. Goal-scoring had been a hindrance in previous seasons, which wondered how quick Greta Oien and Burger would emerge. Would the midfield plus keeper Charlee Nelson have to be the proverbial strengths?
It became clear to Schultz through the non-league slate that this team had potential to go far. The only loss was to Ridgefield in the district semis, a 4-0 verdict.
“A big thing is in playoff soccer, you can’t make little mistakes,” Schultz said. “We’ve cleaned them up over the last two games. Our defensive organization has been really good.”
W.F. West (16-1-4) was the aggressor early with four shots on goal, including a laser of a free kick by Burger that hit the post and Teeter’s head sailed high. It broke through in the 15th minute.
Sable Bunker delivered a gorgeous through ball to a running Teeter, who placed it near side to give the Bearcats a 1-0 cushion.
“I was watching the line and I made eye contact with (Bunker) so I knew she was going to do it and knew where it was going to go,” Teeter said.
Three minutes later, she sent in a low cross to Burger for the tap-in goal to double the cushion. The Bearcats minimized Chief Sealth’s speed up top with Fragner cleaning up several counter-attacks.
“Our backline is to the point where we’re all pretty tight and we know what to expect from each other,” the senior centerback said. “You can see how fast (Chief Sealth) is on film.”
“Kenley, her ability to read the opponent and step in and win tackles, is unlike any player we’ve had over four years,” Schultz added when talking about Fragner.
Two more goals came three minutes apart again in the second half by Burger and Taylor Tobin, assisted by Bunker and Teeter, respectively. W.F. West finished with 15 shots and 13 of them on frame plus Nelson notched three saves.
“It creates a lot more confidence when we break them down early,” Teeter said.
Columbia River could have been the opponent in a district title game. Now it is the team standing in the way of the Bearcats first ever trip to the semifinals.
The Rapids lost to Ridgefield 3-0 nearly two months ago and have since rattled off 14 straight wins all by multiple goals. They’ve allowed just four goals in that span.
“We just need to go out with fire and want it,” Teeter said.
Schultz stated to his girls after the whistle that all the pressure is on Columbia River and the Bearcats have nothing to lose.
And only everything to gain.
“We don’t have to worry about defending a seed and we just get to play,” Schultz said. “If we show up and play our ‘A’ game like we did tonight, we give ourselves an opportunity.”
