An unrelenting late-fall breeze did enough to put a chill into Becca Schoales and the South Kitsap High girls soccer team Saturday night.
And the Bellarmine Prep defense kept the talented junior stone-cold on good scoring chances.
The Lions were cleaner, more aggressive and rode an early goal to upend the Wolves, 2-0, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal matchup at Mount Tahoma Stadium.
Bellarmine Prep (16-2-1) moves on to the state semifinals for the first time since its championship-winning 2004 season, and will face another Narrows League foe – Gig Harbor. The Wolves ended their season at 12-4-2.
Kelly Beck scored off Kelsy Witker’s free-kick assist in the sixth minute, converting a 10-yard shot for a 1-0 Lions lead.
After that, the Lions dictated the action, keeping the ball mostly in South Kitsap territory.
“We talked about winning headers and tackles,” Lions coach Joe Waters said. “We won, I would say, 75 or 80 percent of them.”
And keeping possession meant that Schoales, who spent last summer on the U.S. 15-and-under national team and is generally considered the best player in the state, was doing very little on the offensive end.
She took a pair of first-half shots that were weak scoring chances. Her best opportunity came in the 65th minute, when she squirted free in the middle of the field, but her 20-yard shot went wide of the left post.
“It kind of felt like we were chasing the whole game,” Schoales said. “We couldn’t really get control of the ball. Normally we are a possession team. It killed us.”
The Lions went ahead 2-0 on a goal inside the right post from Stephanie Hamilton in the 63rd minute.
At Gig Harbor 1, Todd Beamer 0: Aubrey Lindberg, a tryout from the volleyball team, is proving to be a valuable asset to the Tides’ soccer squad.
Lindberg, a sophomore, posted her ninth shutout in goal, and Kailyn Tovey scored the match’s lone goal in the 65th minute as Gig Harbor advanced to its first semifinal since 1997.
Lindberg made five saves against the SPSL South champions.
Tahoma 2, Central Valley 1 (OT): Becca Velasco scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 82nd minute, to send the Bears back to the state semifinals.
Skyline 1, Kentwood 0: The Spartans eliminated the defending state champions on Jackie Wilson’s penalty kick goal.
CLASS 2A
Archbishop Murphy 1, at Sumner 0: Kelly Gould’s goal in the 65th minute stopped the Spartans short of reaching the state semifinals. Gould scored on a header off a corner kick from Cali Crisler. The Wildcats meet Interlake in the semifinals on Friday at Shoreline Stadium.
Interlake 2, at Fife 0: First-half goals from Emma Bergstrom were all the Saints needed to topple the Trojans.
BOYS SOCCER
Bear Creek 3, Tacoma Baptist 2: Trevor Talen and Nat Hallstrom scored goals for the Crusaders in the loss.
Staff writer Doug Pacey contributed to this report
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