There’s slow starts, then there’s what happened to the Tenino girls soccer team on Thursday in Montesano.
When the referee blew his whistle to begin play between the Beavers and Bulldogs, Montesano put the ball in play. Just 17 seconds later, before Tenino could even touch the ball, the Bulldogs were on the board. Less than two minutes later, they added a second.
“It was a miserable way to start a game,” Tenino co-head coach Trevor Fetbrandt said. “It was one of those situations where you just got hit in the mouth, you look up at the scoreboard like ‘did that just happen?’”
Montesano took advantage of that slow start, adding two more goals later in the game to hand Tenino a 4-0 loss.
Despite the final scoreline, Fetbrandt was thrilled with the performance. The Beavers created several chances throughout the rest of the game, including a penalty kick in the 10th minute (that was saved) and a free kick that went off the post.
“We could’ve easily shut down after that start,” Fetbrandt said. “But the girls played so freaking hard … The scoreline didn’t show it, but we understood that we were in that game.
“Super, super proud of the effort,” Fetbrandt continued. “It made me really, really proud to be a Beaver.”
The offensive consistency was a welcome sight for Fetbrandt and co-head coach Dave Montgomery, who added that they had just installed a new offensive system during Wednesday’s practice.
Both coaches commended Callie Mickelson, Kyla Watson, and Maria Summers, the three who led the charge up front.
And neither coach is feeling less confident moving forward despite the final result.
“We still have everything in front of us,” Fetbrant said. “We’re super optimistic.”
The Beavers (5-2-2, 0-1 1A Evergreen) will go for their first league win at home against Elma on Tuesday.
