East Valley Hosts Hanford In Girls Soccer
Aseason’s worth of tinkering produced a finely tuned girls soccer team at East Valley High School.
The Knights host Hanford at 1 p.m. today in the first round of State 3A playoffs. The girls soccer team is one of four EV teams involved in post-season competition this weekend.
They played four times against Cheney this year to win the Frontier League and district tournament.
In two league games, EV beat and tied the Blackhawks. Following a 3-2 district loss last Saturday, EV won 1-0 on Tuesday for the state berth.
Overall, the Knights have compiled a 12-3-1 record this season.
“In the early going we moved kids from position to position to find a general team strength,” said coach Bill Wright. “We’ve pretty much solved that now. It took us all year to find it.”
Elisha Stickel, who broke her leg in each of the two previous seasons, was moved from fullback to midfield as a precaution.
“I didn’t even think she would play this year,” said Wright.
Malea Schumacher was shifted from midfield to forward and led the league in scoring with 20 goals.
“The last couple of years we haven’t had any strikers so decided to let her go up front,” said Wright. “Offensively, Malea’s been our punch.”
Midfielder Jessica Bowen, defenders Annette Thomas and Tammy Hill and goal keeper Anita Heaton, the league’s most valuable defender, kept opponents at bay.
All six were named to the All-Frontier first team.
“We changed our defensive formation,” said Wright. “We were pretty much 3-3-3 with a sweeper. Then we went to a 3-4-3. It was just a matter of adjusting and filling.”
In the playoffs, EV blew a 2-0 halftime lead against Cheney and lost 3-2, forcing a second game against the league runnerup.
Wright made further adjustments to earn the state-qualifying shutout.
“They had a couple of corner kicks where the ball got lost in there,” said Wright. “That makes it really difficult on a goalie. There are a lotta bodies and they can’t see the ball.”
Header drills at practice and a decision to play defensively after Bowen scored an early goal, paid off.
“We tried to mark everybody on corner kicks,” said Wright. “Also we brought Malea back where she wasn’t before and she’s not afraid to head it out of there.”
As a result, EV is headed to state.
Regionals harder than state
Getting to state will be more difficult for East Valley’s volleyball team than in years past.
Last week’s Frontier League district championship would normally have assured EV a third-straight state berth.
Instead, it qualified the Knights for a six-team regional tournament in Selah that advances two to state.
“Regionals are harder than state, I think,” said Knight coach Jim Dorr. “Technically it hurts us because we’d already be there.”
Dorr is not unhappy with the regional concept but said it could use some overhauling so that better teams aren’t excluded.
“Overall the concept is good,” he said. “But they have to redistrict to make the state the key tournament of the year. Right now it isn’t. Not all the best teams go.”
Four Mid-Valley teams and two Frontier teams comprise the eastern 3A region. Included are East Valley, a two-time state qualifier, last year’s state runnerup Selah and the current sixth-ranked state team, Ellensburg.
One will stay home because some leagues get five or six state entrants based on enrollment and not necessarily on merit.
With four returning all-league players, East Valley was expected to dominate the Frontier league.
“We felt pretty confident we’d get this far,” said Dorr. “When you have four all-league players you have to feel good about what’s going to happen.”
Deb Asbury, Christy Grochowski, Jenny Kann and Kristin Holleran helped the Knights go undefeated in league and compile a 12-1 dual match overall record.
Asbury and Grochowski, said Dorr, are league most valuable player candidates.
“Christy’s been dominant of late,” he said. “When she hits, the ball’s going down.”
Kann, the setter, has spread EV’s offensive attack around, making the Knights hard to defend.
Knight veterans not only improved over last year, but the bench players also became important as the season went on, said Dorr.
Elly Smith served 11 straight points against Cheney. Amanda Kline, who normally played jayvee, filled in for injured Rachelle Schultz and served the final four points. Staci Haye came in to help the team.
EV plays the winner of the Ellensburg-Hanford regional opener.
“We will be able to see Ellensburg which is a huge advantage,” said Dorr. “The disadvantage is they’re warm going in. But I prefer being able to analyze their attack.”
, DataTimes