The time was ticking down and all Kevin Schultz could do was check his watch. He went from screaming pointers from the sideline during a corner kick to looking at the time.
It was close. It was the ending he envisioned when he took over as head coach for the W.F. West High School girls soccer team four years ago. It was finally going to end with tears of joy instead of sadness.
So when the final whistle rang over Bob Peters Field on the campus of Centralia College on Saturday afternoon, Schultz was overcome with emotions.
“It is really hard to explain,” he said. “The goal is to get better every year.”
The Bearcats, after back-to-back winner-to-state heartbreakers the last two Class 2A District 4 tournaments, celebrated a state tournament berth with a 2-0 victory over Black Hills. It’s the first time they will be in the final 16 since they won the district title in 2012.
And now they’ll get to play in Lewis County at least one more time. As the No. 8 seed, they’ll take on No. 9 Chief Sealth at a time and site to be determined.
Columbia River, one of the powerhouses in 2A, is the No. 1 seed and could be the opponent for a potential quarterfinal.
“We’re finally getting to do it and with a great group of seniors,” junior striker Izzy Teeter said. “It is just great.”
As a Chehalis native and a W.F. West grad, Schultz’s main factor in taking the job was to give back to the community and school that was indebted to him. From the 2013 season until Schultz’s first year in ‘23, the program didn’t have postseason success.
In fact, it was routine for the Bearcats to go 0-2 against the GSHL.
“I took this job to see the program get back to this point,” Schultz said. “To kick the door down, to do it in that fashion, to really feel like you did what the gameplan was, it was really special.”
This year was different. This year featured an undefeated regular season, an Evergreen Conference title and four draws that tested the mental toughness of a bunch that’s seen plenty of underclassmen excel in heightened roles.
The late winners sprinkled in only boosted the confidence. Which is why no one panicked after losing to Ridgefield in the district semifinals earlier in the week.
“Years past, everyone has been mad at each other, but we’re all friends,” Teeter said. “We’re more of a team.”
The first two meetings between W.F. West (15-1-4) and Black Hills were thrillers. Mirabel Burger netted a late free kick in a downpour the first time, then Teeter scored twice in the second matchup.
A little foreshadowing to who would impact Saturday’s game? Maybe a little bit.
Teeter found Burger not once, but twice in the first half 16 minutes apart. Burger, a star freshman, is now up to 23 goals on the season.
“We talk before the game, we’ve created that connection and we know where each other are on the field,” Teeter said.
That proved to be more than enough cushion for W.F. West’s defense, which posted its 10th shutout of the season and it gives keeper Charlee Nelson another school record.
It kept a pair of early Black Hills (10-6-3) chances off the scoreboard and stymied the Wolves’ attack from then on. The last five minutes was a flurry of chances, including a pair of corners in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.
Yet head coach Jordan Owen left the field with a ton of pride.
“The program is going in the right direction,” Owen said.
It’s been a steady progress for the Wolves, going 0-2 last season to being 80 minutes away from a state berth. Although seven seniors played their final game, Owen is excited about what the future holds.
“The whole Black Hills side of the district is going in the right direction,” she said.
The Bearcats have anxiously waited their turn to be the EvCo’s recipient of a state tournament appearance. They don’t plan on taking the moment for granted.
“We don’t like to back down, so we can make it pretty far,” Teeter stated.
