Mead girls lost in OT, place fourth in State 4A soccer

For the final 10 minutes of regulation, the Mead High Panthers attacked with as much offense as they could muster, but it was a Mead defensive lapse that determined the game.

The Inglemoor Vikings scored 56 seconds into overtime Saturday afternoon to defeat the Panthers, 1-0, in the consolation game of the State 4A girls soccer tournament at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

The Vikings (17-2) earned the third-place trophy. The Panthers (15- 5) brought the fourth-place hardware back to Spokane.

"It's always disappointing when you play well enough to win and you don't," said Mead coach Travis Hanson.

The Panthers outshot the Vikings 9-5 through regulation play. Inglemoor, however, made the most of the only shot in overtime.

Sophomore Martee Tucker collected the ball at the edge of the Mead penalty box and beat one defender, leaving her 1-on-1 with Panthers keeper Angie Shea.

"I was waiting for the keeper to commit,' said Tucker. "Once she made her move, I saw the near post was open."

Tucker kept her composure and slipped the ball just inside the post.

"It's unfortunate, especially when we feel like we did enough to win the game," said Mead senior Holly Ready. "It's frustrating losing like that, but it's a huge accomplishment just to be here."

In each of their five losses this season, the Panthers failed to score, including a 2-0 loss to Bellarmine Prep in the semifinals.

"It's not the story of our season, but we've experienced it," Hanson said of his teams inability to score. "We've had trouble scoring goals this season."

It's not that the Panthers lacked chances on Saturday.

Just 10 minutes into the game, Ready maneuvered by a Vikings defender and unleashed a blast from the right side. The ball ricocheted off the far post and bounced across the Inglemoor goalmouth, just inches from the line.

The Panthers pressed throughout the game but had trouble penetrating the Vikings defense. Inglemoor often held nine players behind the ball. The Panthers' best opportunities came as they began to counterattack late in the game.

Adriane Kehl missed just wide left with a shot with 10:30 left in the second half. Ready missed both left and right with shots in the final 9:30 of the game.

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