It took until the very end of regulation, then a penalty shootout to decide it all, but the T-Birds extended their season with a 2-1 (4-3 PKs) triumph over the Monarchs on Thursday night in a Class 2A District 4 pigtail match in Longview.
For a program that has been the class of the EvCo, being in an early elimination game is uncommon. Still, head coach Abbey Bergquist left Longview Memorial Stadium with nothing but smiles.
“I encouraged the girls to have no regrets,” Bergquist said. “What do we have to lose? They earned that win.”
In the 79th minute, Lilly Taggart got a header off a Jenna Graves corner kick for the equalizer and sent the contest into extra time. Since league play didn’t feature PK shootouts this year, it was Tumwater’s (6-8-4) first shootout of the fall.
Graves, Brielle Clark, Brynn Carson and Jenna Larson found the back of the net in the shootout to ignite a euphoric celebration.
“In the last 30 minutes, we were on the attack,” Bergquist said. “They generated more (chances) in the last 30 than they did all night. We try to mentally prepare our kids for anything. I was really proud of them, they kept their composure.”
Tumwater has guaranteed itself at least two more games. It will travel to Vancouver to take on Columbia River in a Saturday afternoon quarterfinal.
