Knights defeated in semifinal, hope still alive for state play

NACHES — The Royal Knights (13-4) were defeated 3-0 by the Naches Valley Rangers in the semifinal of the 1A district tournament Saturday. The Rangers captured momentum early and did not let it go.  

“Unfortunately, we gave up a goal early, and it's just girls being excited and unfortunately losing the ball, turned the ball over in the midfield too easily,” head coach Jens Jensen said.  

The Rangers created a lot of pressure on the Knights whenever they had possession of the ball. This aggressive approach helped them take advantage of any turnovers by the Knights and jump out to a 2-0 lead by halftime.  

Jensen said the Rangers' key players taking control of the game left the Knights somewhat shell-shocked.  

“Everybody's in more of a defensive shape, and then they don't get out and actually mark up. Ball gets played negative, and the girl just puts it up, and it floats over our keeper,” Jensen said.  

In the second half, the Knights continued to struggle against the Rangers, and strong winds also factored into the pace of the game. Jensen said when wind is a factor in the game, it’s important for players to play the ball on the ground and get it to the outside ends of the field.  

“It's a matter of getting the ball down, finding the outside, running the ball up, and then being very wise and having composure in possession, so that you can then get the rest of the team to kind of join... that's what we were missing today," he said. 

The Rangers were able to score their third goal by slipping it under goalkeeper Grace Soliz. 

Throughout the second half, the Knights were able to prevent the Rangers from scoring again and created several chances to score, but could not capitalize. Eventually, time ran out on the Knights, and the Rangers secured the win to advance to the district championship game.  

Jensen said the Knights changed the shape of their formation, which helped them create good scoring chances. However, they did not put it in the net.  

“We were having a difficult time getting it out and finding our forwards and run, and then when we did, it's a lot to beat the other team and beat the wind, so it was tough,” he said.  

Jensen was still pleased with how his team responded in the second half to create more scoring opportunities. He said rotating fresh players into the game throughout the second half also added a boost favorable to the Knights.  

Jensen said the Knights learned more about the formation they can play in versus what they can’t.  

“We sort of set up a team in a certain way that we gave up the first goal, and then we had to change our shape, and that second shape that we went to, is what we should have been doing the whole time,” he said.  

Despite the loss, the Knights can still play for a spot in the 1A state tournament. They move into the consolation bracket, where they will play the Wahluke Warriors (12-6), who are coming off a 4-0 win over College Place on Saturday. The Knights will host the Warriors on Tuesday at 6 p.m. 

“We just have a different path. It's a path that adds an extra game, but we're going to obviously try to battle our way back through,” Jensen said.  

BOX SCORE: 

ROYL: 0-0: 0
NCVL: 2-1: 3 

    The Knights’ Hallie Christensen (21) beats a Naches Valley player to the ball to make a pass to a teammate. Head Coach Jens Jensen said the Knights struggled with turnovers on Saturday.
  

    Royal's Grace Soliz makes a save after Naches Valley took a shot at the goal. Head Coach Jens Jensen said the Knights took a similar path to state last year.
  

    Jill Allred (11) battles with a Naches Valley player for control of the ball. Head Coach Jens Jensen said the Knights did a good job of creating scoring chances against Naches Valley on Saturday.