Stellar season for Titans ends with heartbreaker

There is an ugly truth about “The Beautiful Game”: sometimes the better team loses.

It’s a truth the University girls soccer team faced Tuesday night at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick.

After playing regulation and one five-minute overtime session to scoreless draw, Kamiakin scored off a corner kick in the final minutes of a second overtime period, ending the Titans’ season in a first-round state high school Class 4A playoff game.

“It’s hard losing a game like that,” U-Hi coach Kevin Houston said. “We dominated the game, we just couldn’t convert on the opportunities we had. We had one breakdown off a set piece and that cost us the game.”

For senior captain Megan Dempsey, the loss stands in stark contrast to last Saturday. The midfielder scored the game winner against Southridge – the second of a two-goal outburst that took the Titans from a goal down to a goal up in a minute.

“I was so happy to score like that,” she said, her face beaming as she recalled the game-winning header. “I got a great feed off of Lauren Archibald’s free kick. The ball just came straight at me. It was just perfect – a super-exciting moment.”

The loss four days later? Not so much.

“It’s tough to take,” she said. “We out-played them, but we couldn’t get anything to go in. Both teams played good defense. The ball crossed in off a corner kick and we missed marking one of their players and they scored.”

Tuesday’s game was only the third time in 18 outings that University was shut out. The Titans were blanked in their season opener against Coeur d’Alene and again Halloween night against Lewis and Clark, both ending in shootout losses.

“I was beginning to think that we were going to get them to a shootout and I liked our chances there,” senior Nikki Caudill said. “I hadn’t taken a penalty shot all season and I wanted to get a shot at it.”

The loss ends a unique season.

“I’ve never had a team quite like this one in all the time I’ve coached,” Houston said. “Everyone gets along so well, they all work hard and they all support each other. Every practice has been fun and, at the same time, they’ve all worked hard to make each other better.”

Dempsey agreed.

“I think this has really been a team, in every sense of the word,” she said. “Especially compared to some of the years I’ve had in my high school career.

“Everyone on this team genuinely liked one another – I think everyone had a perfect personality and it all just meshed. I didn’t have to do much of anything to help get my teammates motivated as team captain. They were already there.”

Caudill agreed.

“We had so many players that are so good,” she explained. “Everyone was all about making the team better and supporting one another. We’re all great friends and we did team bonding things every week. I’m sad that I won’t be able to play with these girls after this.

“I told them that they have to go out there and win state next year. They’re that good. They have to do it.”

This year’s U-Hi squad had 19 players collect at least one goal or assist.

“I’ve never had a team do that,” Houston said. “There aren’t very many players who didn’t score for us.

“That’s the nature of this team. We had some injuries and we had a lot of players in and out of the lineup. But when I put someone in, it wasn’t just putting someone in to fill a spot until the starter got back. I was putting in players who were genuine threats to score. I didn’t have a steady starting lineup until the very end of the season when everyone got healthy.”

For Caudill, who led the team with 10 goals and five assists, this season was about the team making her a better player.

“That’s absolutely the case – for the first time I played with a team that brought out my talents and made me a better player,” she said. “Everyone on this team was willing to make the great pass or to give themselves up to make a play.”

Both seniors agree: They leave the program in great shape for the next couple years.

“This team can be very good and I wish I could be a part of it,” Dempsey said. “It’s only now beginning to sink in that I’m not going to get to play with these girls any more. I still have my club team, so I will keep on playing soccer, but I’m not going to play with this team again.”