TENINO — The Tenino soccer team battled for 90 minutes against Forks on Monday night, but the Beavers ultimately fell 3-2 in a penalty shootout on the black turf.
“We had a really, really clear cut game plan on how we wanted to defend them,” Tenino coach Trevor Fetbrandt said. “And it was incredibly effective … They grinded it out and got it to PKs, that’s all you can ask for.”
Carlos Sanchiz scored the opener on a PK in the eighth minute of the game, but Forks tied the score just eight minutes later.
Miguel Espinoza gave Tenino the lead back just three minutes later with a beautiful strike from outside the box, but again Forks tied it moments later.
The Spartans’ second goal came off a free kick that was taken quickly near midfield, as Forks took advantage of the quick transition after a 50/50 foul call.
“We were on the less fortunate side of that call,” Fetbrandt said.
The defenses clamped down from there, though, and neither team found the breakthrough goal over the next 50 minutes of regulation and a 10-minute overtime period.
Both teams sank their first PK, but Tenino missed its next two. One went high and bounced off the football crossbar, and the other rattled off the left post. Forks made both attempts before Tenino missed, and the Spartans sank their fourth attempt to win the shootout 4-1.
Tenino already faced a tough road to try and clinch a playoff berth, and the loss only makes things that much more difficult.
The Beavers are now two games behind Forks, which has beaten them twice, and their two and a half games behind Forks and Elma, which are currently tied for the fourth and final Evergreen playoff spot. The Beavers have six league games remaining to try and make up ground.
Even the mention of a potential playoff race has Fetbrandt proud of the growth that Tenino has shown this season, though.
Last year,, the Beavers finished 1-15 overall and 1-13 in league play, and they’ve already tripled their win total despite being a much younger group overall.
“My approach from day one, especially with a younger group like this, is always about the progress and the step-by-step approach,” Fetbrandt said. “You can’t just expect the results. It’s about development and progress.
“Over time, with consistency, the results will come. And I think we’re starting to show that,” he continued. “We’ve had some great games where we’ve done some pretty amazing things along the way … We’re knocking on the door.”
The Beavers will have a tough task in their next matchup, when they host unbeaten Raymond-South Bend on Friday.
