For the second year in a row, the Tenino girls soccer team is headed to the state tournament.
The Beavers punched their ticket to state on Saturday in Vancouver, where they defeated Columbia (White Salmon) 2-0 in a 1A District 4 Tournament Elimination Game.
“It’s exciting,” Tenino coach Trevor Fetbrandt said. “We’re fired up for it.”
The Beavers had plenty of chances in the first half, but they weren’t able to get on the board before the break.
Elizabeth Duarte broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute off an assist from Callie Mickelson, and Tenino immediately began pressing for a second.
Against Kalama in the semifinal, they weren’t able to get the extra cushion, and the Chinooks eventually tied the game and went on to win in penalty kicks.
“We were really reflecting back to our Kalama experience,” Fetbrandt said. “We don’t want this to be a one goal game as we get later into it.”
It took just seven minutes for Tenino to double its lead, as Maria Summers scored off a Kyla Watson assist in the 59th minute.
“When you get to playoff soccer, you expect the majority of games to be competitive and close,” Fetbrandt said. “A couple of moments make the difference. We regrouped as a team and made the commitment to ourselves that we weren't going to stay complacent.”
By the end of the night, Tenino outshot Columbia 12-2, and they earned four corners without conceding a single one.
A little over 20 minutes after the second goal, the Beavers were able to celebrate their second straight state tournament berth.
“Going to state a single time is an accomplishment,” Fetbrandt said. “To go back to back there aren't a lot of schools that do that, and it’s a huge accomplishment. That being said, we returned so many players that throughout the course of districts, it felt like we were experienced and prepared for this moment. As we look forward to the state now, we’re excited to tap into some prior experience and not feel like we’re the deer and the other team is the headlights.”
Tenino (16-3-1) will learn its seed and opponent in the first round of the state tournament on Sunday, when the WIAA will release the state tournament bracket.
