SNOHOMISH — The Jackson girls soccer team came into Monday night’s Wesco 4A matchup at Veterans Memorial Stadium needing a win to clinch the conference championship.
A motivated Snohomish side had other ideas.
With the Marysville Pilchuck community on their minds, and a member of their own soccer family in their hearts, Snohomish took it to the first-place Timberwolves in a 3-1 victory that lifted the Panthers back into the league title chase.
Snohomish dealt Jackson its first loss since Oct. 2, when the Timberwolves fell to Kamiak. Jackson faces a rematch with the Knights on Wednesday at Everett Memorial Stadium, and can still clinch the league title with a victory.
Each Snohomish player took the field Monday with “MP” written on her left hand in marker, and “Steve” on the right. The MP stood for Marysville Pilchuck, site of last week’s fatal shooting, and “Steve” referenced the father of senior defender Makenna Wheeler.
“Steve is going through his own battle right now,” Snohomish coach April VanAssche said. “And we wanted to be in the battle right with him.”
The Panthers seized control of the match quickly and with a flourish. Kaytlin Willis lofted a perfectly placed free kick onto the head of fellow senior Ellie Otteson in the fifth minute of action, and Otteson’s glancing header found the back of the net. Willis took the spot kick from 20 yards out, right in front of the Snohomish bench. VanAssche had a quick word for her beforehand.
“She told me it was up to me whether to shoot it or cross it, and once I saw Ellie, I knew what to do,” Willis said. “I knew she would get on the end of it.”
The header beat Jackson goalkeeper Callie Vanaelst to her right side, and put the Panthers in front.
Vanaelst came off her line to stuff Madison Pollock later in the first half, but Snohomish had the run of play throughout the opening period. With seven minutes to go in the half, Quinn Otteson’s pass was corralled by Holly Rothering inside the box, and her dribbling shot snuck under Vanaelst’s outstretched arms for the second Panther goal.
Jackson scoring leader Drew Locknane had two opportunities in front of the goal in the final 12 minutes of the first half, but couldn’t capitalize for the Timberwolves, who went into the break down 2-0.
“Snohomish just came out with so much energy, and they made it very difficult for us to make the obvious pass,” Jackson coach Jesslyn Kellerman said. “We just weren’t playing quick enough.”
With a two-goal lead, VanAssche sent an extra defender to the back line, and the Panthers man-marked Locknane throughout the match. “We have great respect for Drew, but the Jackson offense is very dangerous as a whole,” VanAssche said.
Willis, part of the Snohomish defense that frustrated the Timberwolves on Monday, said the Panther game plan was to be aggressive.
“We came out with the mentality that we were going to win the 50-50 balls and play as hard as we could,” she said.
Reserve forward Madison Pollock was rebuffed by a lunging save from Vanaelst in the 56th minute, but nobody was stopping the junior’s powerful strike seven minutes later off a feed from Rothering that gave the Panthers a three-goal lead.
Jackson avoided the shutout with a goal from Olivia Miller off an assist from Madison Cooley with 10 minutes to play in regulation,.
The Panthers travel to Mount Vernon on Wednesday night and must win and hope Kamiak completes a season sweep of the Timberwolves to claim a share of the title.
If Kamiak, Jackson and Snohomish are tied atop the division, the head-to-head matchups place the Knights in front of Jackson but tied with Snohomish. VanAssche said there could be a playoff on Friday to settle ties before districts begin Nov. 1 at Goddard Stadium.
The first and second seeds to districts receive first-round byes. Jackson could render it all moot by rebounding Wednesday against Kamiak.
“Hopefully the loss tonight will irk them a little bit and they’ll let that frustration and disappointment fuel them and work to their benefit on Wednesday,” Kellerman said.
Goals—Ellie Otteson (S), Holly Rothering (S), Madison Pollock (S), Olivia Miller (J). Assists—Kaytlin Willis (S), Quinn Otteson (S), Rothering (S), Madison Cooley (J). Goalkeepers—Jackson: Callie Vanaelst. Snohomish: Niki Denk. Records—Jackson 11-2-0, 11-4-0. Snohomish 10-3-0, 10-4-1
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