Cheney soccer season ends with 2-1 playoff loss at Pullman

A pair of second half goals sent the Pullman Greyhounds to a 2-1 win over the visiting Cheney soccer team last Thursday, eliminating the Lady Hawks from postseason play.

Pullman’s Maddi Cillay broke a scoreless tie by fielding a pass from Diana DeWald and sending home a goal in the 54th minute. Cillay then found Anne Mari Petrino six minutes later with a pass the sophomore sent into Cheney’s net for a 2-0 lead.

The Lady Hawks kept battling, and cut Pullman’s lead in half late in the game when Jasmine McCauley won a ball from a Greyhounds midfielder and played a curling pass forward to Abby Hammermeister. The sophomore midfielder possessed the ball and in turn sent a shot that curled around the Pullman goalkeeper into the net in the 78th minute.

Pullman out shot Cheney 14-4, with goalkeeper Nicole Rowley making 10 saves.

Second-year Cheney head coach Nils Radtke said the Lady Hawks played hard, battling not only a good Pullman team but a wicked cross-field wind the Greyhounds were likely more experienced at handling. There was also some questionable officiating, but Radtke said in the end it didn’t play into the final outcome.

“They just played better than we did,” he said.

Cheney finished the season 4-8 in Great Northern League play, fifth place, 5-11 overall. All but one player should return next season, and Radtke said he saw lots of improvement over the course of the season, particularly in the team’s demeanor.

Whereas last year’s team was angry after their season-ending playoff loss, this year’s team was more disappointed that it meant the end of their togetherness as a unit. That togetherness likely will continue, Radtke said, as given a choice of hurrying home to take part in Halloween activities versus going somewhere to eat and continue the camaraderie, the Lady Hawks chose the latter.

The players also elected to continue practicing, which they technically can do up to Nov. 23, Radtke said, as well as discussed offseason work.

“This is the kind of (team) atmosphere I had in college, and it’s the girls doing,” Radtke said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].