Blackhawks stunned by North Kitsap in state opener

SPOKANE – It was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect shot.

With Cheney and North Kitsap locked in a tight, scoreless opening-round state 2A girls soccer match last Wednesday night at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Vikings forward Audrey Zinn possessed a loose ball in front and to the left of the Blackhawks net, just outside the 18-year box.

Briefly in the open between a couple Cheney defenders, Zinn punched the ball up and floating towards the goal, just low enough to waft under the cross bar and just above the outstretched arms and hands of goalkeeper Sydney Reagan for a score that proved to be the catalyst in ending the Blackhawks season, via a 1-0 loss to the Vikings.

"It was just placed perfectly," head coach Nels Radtke said.

And its timing was perfect for North Kitsap. Coming in the 71st minute, it left very little time for Cheney to answer. The Blackhawks tried, mounting a few concerted attacks on the Vikings backline and goalkeeper Sophia Pixton, but in the end, came up short on their dream of advancing further in state - perhaps as many had hoped, to the Final Four and a possible state title.

"I don't think we fell short, it was a good season," Radtke said. "We lost to a good team."

It was a battle of two good teams, one that see-sawed back and forth with momentum switching sides often. In the first half it was the Vikings who seemed to have the upper hand, at times controlling the tempo and just missing scores on several possessions inside the 18-yard box that had Reagan making diving saves.

In the second half, it was Cheney's turn, applying pressure on the Vikings experienced back line and getting off several close shots of their own - one by forward Makenna Benson, who was battling an illness, late in the game that just missed to the left of the post.

Both teams had experienced and skilled back lines, something that pretty much forced the action to take place in the midfield. Radtke said the speed of North Kitsap's defenders was something he hadn't expected, nor had information on from talking with coaches at Port Angeles, one of the Vikings rivals in the Olympic 2A League. North Kitsap also played their defense higher than expected, and Radtke said Cheney didn't counter that was well as they should by pushing the ball offensively more to the outside.

Radtke didn't think the Blackhawks playing on artificial turf for the first time this season had any impact on his players. The team practiced at G-Prep on Monday night, Eastern Washington University's red turf at Roos Field on Tuesday night, and regularly plays on the rug when competing in club soccer.

"I don't feel that we were so overconfident that we didn't respect them (North Kitsap)," Radtke said. "I was so confident the way we were practicing. I wasn't prepared for not coaching them anymore."

Cheney finished the season with a 15-4 record, winners of the Great Northern League regular season title and a District 7 championship. The game was the finale for the high school careers of nine seniors - all starters - who Radtke said had been playing together since they were seven years old: Kailey Estrellado, Katarina Smith, Jocelyn Cone, Emma Scott, Lexi VanHorne, Megan Little, Abi Kasparek, Kaitlin Teeters and Mackenzie Huotari. Radtke said the group was "selfless," taking part in activities such as setting up youth soccer camp, serving as volunteer coaches for elementary school-age teams and challenging the underclassmen to pick up the mantle of leadership and example they had set over their careers.

"They did everything possible that they could to be a participant in high school soccer," Radtke said, choking back some emotion during Monday evening's interview. "They are perfect examples of someone who does it the right way. This whole season, it was a joy."

While the seniors will leave a big hole to fill, Cheney's cupboard won't be empty in 2020. Seven juniors, three sophomores and one freshman are slated to return in a program that saw 42 players turnout this year.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].