By Mike Maltais
The Liberty Bell High School varsity girls’ soccer team won a tight 2-1 overtime shootout against the Okanogan Bulldogs last Thursday (Oct. 30), and sent the Mabton Vikings sailing for home, 3-1, on Saturday (Nov. 1) to advance into the final four round of District 5/6/7 1B/2B playoffs scheduled for Tuesday (Nov. 4).
The Lady Lions were on the road to face the Bulldogs at Okanogan at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to decide which team will advance to the championship round against either Tonasket or Brewster at the Apple Bowl in Wenatchee, Saturday (Nov. 8) and also determine seeding for the round of eight on the road to state competition later this month.
Bulldogs muzzled
The LBHS girls concluded their regular season against the Bulldogs at Okanogan in a come-from-behind second-half surge when a goal by Mia Kennedy found the teams knotted in a 1-1 double overtime tie that led to the rotating five-ball shootout.
Kennedy was first at the shootout line and scored for the Lady Lions. Liberty Bell goalkeeper Lauren Ochoa kept the first three Bulldog kickers out of the net on wide or blocked shots while Danielle Mott scored on Liberty Bell’s fourth attempt to put the Lady Lions up by two. Okanogan closed the gap to one point on its fourth shot but the final goal by Cailin Chandler put the game out of reach.
Vikings becalmed
The Lady Lions had visiting Mabton mostly on the defensive during the first round of post-season play at Liberty Bell last Saturday.
With 10 minutes remaining in the first half Liberty Bell was already up 2-0 on a goal by Corrine Dietz off a Tabitha
Bergevin-Krumme assist. Then a corner kick by Kennedy from the right side of Mabton’s goal landed among a melee of players before Sally Thornton-White found enough leather to knock the ball in from short range for Liberty Bell’s second score.
With eight-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second half, Chandler launched a solid shot from the left side. A Viking defender and the keeper tried to intercept the ball but it squirted between both and rolled slowly into the right corner of the net to give Liberty Bell a 3-0 advantage.
With the game all but over Mabton rallied and in the final seconds of the final minute lobbed an arching shot over Ochoa for its only score
At the same time Liberty Bell was facing Okanogan Tuesday, Brewster was scheduled to take on the Tigers at Tonasket.
LATE BREAKING SCORE, TUESDAY (Nov. 4): Okanogan 3, Liberty Bell 0. Liberty Bell will still advance to regional play.
