The Kentwood High girls soccer team overcame a big hurdle Tuesday night in Sammamish.
Alex White delivered a goal from roughly six yards out and the goalkeeping tandem of Megan Walburn and Courtney Johnson continued to be an impenetrable wall as the Conquerors knocked off Eastlake 1-0 in a first round Class 4A state soccer match.
Kentwood (15-0-4) is making its fifth-straight state appearance. The Conquerors were knocked out in the first round in three of the previous four years, making Tuesday night’s win that much bigger.
“Everybody has got it in their minds that five years in a row and we’ve only made one trip past the first round,” said Kentwood coach Aaron Radford. “So this is a big one.”
With the win, the Conquerors advance to the state quarterfinals, where they will play South Kitsap (13-0-3) at 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at Mount Tahoma High.
South Kitsap, which won the Narrows League crown this fall, knocked off Kamiakin on Tuesday night, 2-0.
The win, however, came at a cost for the Conquerors. Defensive standout Rachel Bindl suffered a concussion in the game, her second of the season and will be out for a minimum of two weeks.
Bindl went up for a header late in the second half and was hit while in the air. She fell to the ground and hit her head hard on the turf. It’s her second concussion of the season.
“The first one wasn’t technically a concussion,” said Bindl, who will play at the University of Montana next year on scholarship. “This one definitely is. It sucks.”
White’s goal came in the 35th minute on an assist from Rachel Bindl. Bindl connected with White from about 40 yards out. White was then able to tuck the ball just underneath the goalkeeper for the lone score of the game.
After that, it was all about Kentwood’s defense, a group that has been plenty stingy this season. The Conk defense has allowed just two goals all season – Oct. 1 against Auburn Riverside and last week against Beamer.
“The way (the defense) has played, you get a goal and you start feeling comfortable,” Radford said. “They played their hearts out to make sure that goal stood up.”
Kentwood has outscored its opponents 49-2 this season. Tuesday’s win was the team’s 17th shutout of the year.
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