TENINO — Between their first meeting in October and Saturday night, Napavine and Toledo had played 170 minutes of soccer.
The two teams played to a scoreless draw four weeks ago, and in the district title game in Tenino, the Tigers and Riverhawks again found themselves deadlocked at zero.
“We’re two evenly matched teams,” Napavine’s Taylen Evander said.
Ninety minutes wasn’t enough to declare a district tournament winner, but Evander made all the difference in the penalty shootout. She made three saves in the shootout, helping the Tigers win 1-0 (2-1 PKs) and repeat as district champions.
“I followed her eyes,” Evander said. “We practiced every single day for weeks, so I was ready for it. I just had the confidence that I was gonna get it, and I did.”
Evander set the stage by saving Toledo’s first kick, and Hannah Fay made it 1-0 seconds later by sinking Napavine’s first shot.
Toledo’s Ivana Cabrera made two saves and Evander added her second before Toledo’s Kailea Lairson tied the shootout at one apiece.
After Cadence Bolen put the Tigers back in front by sinking her PK, Evander sealed the deal with her third and final save.
“Just awesome,” Napavine coach John Bates said. “I think we got outplayed, but we found a way.”
Bates wasn’t totally wrong, as the Riverhawks were in control for the majority of regulation and generated most of the chances.
Just as she was in the shootout, though, Evander was stout in net.
Napavine’s best chance came in the 65th minute, when Hayden Kaut sent a liner towards the top of the net on a free kick from about 30 yards away. Cabrera was able to get a hand on it and knock it just above the crossbar, though, and the Riverhawks cleared the ensuing corner.
Not only is it the second straight district title for the Tigers, but it’s the second straight year that they won the district title 1-0 over Toledo in Tenino.
“We just came up short,” Toledo coach Horst Malunat said. “You have to score in regulation. You don’t want it to come to PKs. Maybe this is something we needed to make us stronger … It would be nice to be carrying that shiny thing over there, but it is what it is.”
Toledo (11-4-3) is still through to the state tournament, and Malunat is confident that their seeding won’t take a hit.
The Riverhawks will find out their seed and Round of 16 opponent on Sunday. A win in that round would be their first state win since they reached the state semifinals and finished fourth in 2021.
“I’m just happy that the kids played hard. ,” Malunat said. “They did what I asked, they worked hard, and that’s all I can ask. We just gotta get ready for state.”
The Tigers (12-4-2) will also find out their state fate on Sunday. Last year, the Tigers were the No. 5 seed and won their first state tournament game in 12 years.
“I’m barely hanging on,” Bates said with a laugh. “But I’ll see it through. I’m so proud of them.”
