The Liberty Bell High School girls’ soccer squad gave up two early goals at Okanogan last Thursday, then went on to play the undefeated Bulldogs toe-to-toe for the remaining 65 minutes before losing 2-0.
The loss dropped the Mountain Lions to 6-6 on the season, 4-3 in league play, and put them safely in fourth place as the league championship tournament approaches. That No. 4 seed means one more home match as Liberty Bell will host a first-round contest against the No. 5 seed, likely Tonasket.
Okanogan’s two goals came in the first 15 minutes of the match, played at the Okanogan Sports Complex. The first came on what Coach Kelly Grayum described as an “own goal,” where a shot glanced off of a Liberty Bell defender and into the net. Moments later the Bulldogs hit again, this time on a breakaway.
After that it was a test of wills, each team getting shots on goal, none making it into the nets. Grayum reported that Liberty Bell created several opportunities but just came up short. Liberty Bell’s young tandem of sophomore Lucia Troyer and Caleigh Buzzard teamed up for four saves of direct shots on goal.
Grayum singled out Zahra Somerville-Borowski and Anja Merkens for solid play, “bossing the midfield, particularly in the second half. Aria Covell, Elaine Walker and Sarina Hodge did an incredible amount of running on the wings and created a number of opportunities.”
Shots on goal were dead-even, seven apiece, according to Grayum. “If we could just figure out how to stop gifting the other team a goal or two in the first half,” lamented the coach.
With the No. 4 seed locked up, the Mountain Lions celebrated their Senior Day Tuesday in their final regular season game with Oroville. Longtime players Adeline Humling and Pepper Treise were joined in the ceremony by first-year player and classmate Taylor Hover.
The girls will have to wait a week until Tuesday, Oct. 27, to get the post-season underway. After the first round, the CWB championships become double-elimination with all four teams qualifying to advance to the District 5 tournament in early November.
