Royal Soccer ends season with back-to-back losses
Bob Kirkpatrick/The Sun Tribune - Knights keeper Denisse Arroyo stops a scoring threat from Warden's Surrey Swindler (13).
The Knights looked to have momentum on their side and ready to make a deep run in the postseason, having won six in a row heading into the final game of the regular season. But Royal stumbled on its last two outings and the Knights season came to an end with a 1-0 loss to Cle Elum in the first round of the district playoffs Saturday.
“We had some difficulty adjusting to their field and our normal tactics did not work on such a narrow field,” coach Jens Jensen said. “Cle Elum’s goal came in the first half on a low ball to the near post that was seen late by our goalkeeper and that was the match.”
Royal had a chance to level it in the second half, but and outstanding play by the Warriors goalie thwarted the scoring opportunity.
“Noelia put in a shot from the narrowest of angles that looked to loop the keeper in and drop in the far post, but the Cle Elum keeper did extremely well to get a hand to it and deflect it over the bar and behind.”
Warden 3
Royal 2
The Knights matched up with the Cougars in the final game of the regular season in Warden on Thursday, Oct. 26.
Royal struck first on a penalty kick by Denisse Arroyo 24 minutes into the fuss. Aubree Skone leveled it two minutes later when she dribbled down the left side of the pitch, then cut back to the middle, and rocketed a shot past the Knights keeper and into the top right corner from 18-yards out.
Aaliyah Escamilla gave the Cougars their first lead off a Skone assist at 29 minutes. The 2-1 score held up through the break.
Noelia Juarez knotted it 2-all on a one-on-one with the Warden keeper eight minutes into the second half of play. Gracie Richins got the game winner off a through ball from Skone at the 65th minute of the contest.
Despite the early exit from the district playoff’s, Jensen felt the team had an outstanding year.
“By all accounts this season was a smashing success. We have not had a .500 league record season since 2010 and we have not had a winning league record since 2003. We have been in districts with a below .500 league record a number of times during that period — most recently in 2014. But to finish third with a 7-4 league record is pretty fantastic historically.”
The Knights will lose five seniors to graduation including leading scorer Noelia Juarez. So there will be some big shoes to fill next season.
“All of them (the seniors) fill important roles for us that will be difficult to fill,” Jensen said. “But girls always seem to step up.”