Local soccer fans are happy - both Shorecrest and Shorewood win in tournament play

Local soccer fans went home happy Saturday night as both Shorecrest and Shorewood eked out hard-fought 1-0 wins in first round play District One tournament play at Shoreline Stadium.

Junior Sophia Viviano scored her 22nd goal of the season with just over two minutes to play to give the Scots their win over Sehome from the Northwest League.  

Junior Maria Zahajko kept a ball in play and pushed it forward to Viviano who squeezed a shot past Goalkeeper Alex Payne for the game-winner. It was the last of innumerable chances the Scots had on what coach Mindy Dalziel said was one of her team's best efforts of the season. 

"We played a great game in all phases - we were ready to go right from the start".

Senior defender MacKenzie Parry echoed her coach. 

"This was our strongest effort of the season, we really came out with our butts on fire", Parry said, cheekily, after the game. "Teams know they have to stop Sophia, and everybody on our team stepped up and played their best tonight."   

Sophomore Kate Wiper was in net for the Scots and got credit for her ninth shutout of the season.

Tuesday night the Scots host Burlington-Edison in the 2A District semi-finals, with the winner earning a berth to State.

In the nightcap, junior Lisa Jensen scored on a free kick with four minutes to play to give the T-Birds their win over Stanwood. The win advances the T-Birds to the 3A District semi-finals Tuesday night where they will play Arlington at 5pm on the Eagles home field.

"I'd prefer to have a free kick that's closer to the net (than from the 25 yard line), but we needed a spark so I aimed for the top-left corner and thankfully I was able to get it past the keeper," Jensen said as she described her game-winner,

T-Birds coach Bill Wilkins heaved a happy sigh after the game. "For some reason we were a step slow tonight, a little flat. Maybe it was a post-Halloween hangover - my youth team this afternoon was a step off all game, too."   

The game marked the seventh shutout of the season for senior Keeper Ashley Garay.