Moses Lake falls to Union in first round, 2-0

MOSES LAKE - For the second time in as many seasons, Moses Lake girls soccer exited the state tournament earlier than expected.

The Chiefs lost a tough match to 10th ranked Union Wednesday night 2-0, eliminating Moses Lake from the 4A state tournament.

Union utilized its quickness to control the time of possession and spent the majority of the first half in Moses Lake territory.

After junior goal keeper Jeanette Alvarado turned away several shots, a Union player was able to find the back of the net with 18 minutes remaining in the first half. Moses Lake entered intermission trailing 1-0.

"They were a fast team," head coach Ric Char said. "I think we got a little frazzled I think at the beginning to adjust to that. In the second half we had a chance and an opportunity to regroup and get that confidence back."

The Chiefs came out of halftime with a sense of urgency with the possibility of only 40 minutes remaining in their season. Senior forward Caylah Lunning had an opportunity to score the equalizer, but her header sailed slightly right of the goal.

"It could have been a whole different ball game when we had that momentum going in that first part of the second half. It could have been totally different," Char said.

The Titans were able to score their second goal with nine minutes remaining in the match and a season that saw so much success for the Chiefs ended in disappointment when the final whistle blew.

The team's goal early in the season was to win the first round of the state tournament and although they came up short on the field, the Chiefs still had a remarkable season going undefeated through league play, winning the Columbia Basin Big 9 league championship and winning the district championship.

"This team has gone farther than any other team in terms of accomplishing goals," Char said.

For the seniors, defender Krystal Fick, forward Caylah Lunning and midfielder Megan Roughan, Wednesday night's loss wasn't how they wanted to end their careers with the Chiefs, but Char knows that what all three meant to the program reaches farther than one match.

"Caylah will leave our program as one of the best players to come out of the program," Char said.

Lunning will continue her soccer career at Eastern Washington University next year.

Char praised Roughan's leadership as one of the three captains of this year's squad.

"She's going to be successful in everything she does," he said. "She was a great leader for us this year."