Lady Tigers defeat Othello for state berth

Ephrata moves on to district finals

EPHRATA — With the score tied 2-2 late in the first half, Ephrata's Erin Laughlin launched a free-kick shot from 25 yards out over a wall of Othello defenders to score the eventual game-winning goal as the Lady Tigers defeated Othello 3-2 in the semifinals of the CWAC District Soccer Tournament Tuesday. With the win, Ephrata secured one of the top two seeds to state out of the CWAC. The Lady Tigers will meet the winner of Tuesday's East Valley (Yakima) and Selah match for the district championship and the league's top seed to state on Saturday afternoon in Ephrata, with a specific start time yet to be determined.

Laughlin's shot, which went off the outstretched hands of the leaping Othello goalkeeper before finding the net, came at the 38:22 mark of the first half. It brought to an end 40 minutes of soccer where offense was king, and ushered in a second half where the defenses came alive to shut down the goal-scoring flurry that began the game.

"The defense was the deciding factor for tonight's match," said Ephrata coach Hillary Coomes. "The second half, the girls just stepped up and played that much harder."

In the first half, the teams alternated sustained possessions deep in their opponents' half of the field that often resulted in scoring opportunities. During final 40 minutes of play, both teams struggled to move the ball beyond the midfield as defenders swarmed quickly to the ball and stepped into passing lanes to steal possessions near the midfield line.

While defense ruled the second half of play, the game began with the teams trading goals at a frantic pace.

Ephrata freshman Alex Youngberg opened the scoring in the ninth minute on a goal assisted by Katelyn McDonnell. Just 2:30 later, Othello's Courtney Kirkwood stole a ball in front of the Ephrata penalty area, worked past a Lady Tiger defender and beat the Ephrata keeper for a game-tying goal. While the Othello forward was able to score early for the Lady Huskies, the Ephrata defense contained both Kirkwood and teammate Rachel Mohs for much of the contest.

"We knew if we were going to win this game, we had to shut down Kirkwood and Mohs," said Coomes. "We had to shut them down and keep them from getting touches on the ball."

Youngberg would give Ephrata back the lead in the 19th minute, taking a short pass from Rocio Mendoza on the left side and firing it across the goal to the back-right corner of the net for a 2-1 Lady Tiger lead.

Othello came back to tie the match for the second time in the 32nd minute when Nora Calvert won a ball from a group of Ephrata defenders in the penalty area and hammered a shot off the crossbar that ricocheted into the net for the goal. After Laughlin's shot put Ephrata up 3-2, Othello was unable to respond for a third time.

The Lady Huskies drop into the consolation bracket of the CWAC tournament and will host the winner of the match between Ellensburg and Wapato in a loser-out contest. The game will be played this Thursday with a start time yet to be announced.