The rivalry element is enough to bring out emotion.
But Auburn Mountainview sophomore striker Katherine Setera said her team possessed an extra motivating element that aided the Lions during a 1-0 win Tuesday night in a South Puget Sound League 3A girls soccer match at Auburn Riverside.
“It feels good to kind of redeem ourselves and show we do have the potential to win,” said Setera, who scored the match’s lone goal in the 35th minute.
Setera was referring to the previous match between the schools on Oct. 1. Auburn Mountainview (7-8-0 overall, 7-6-0 league) led most of the match before it surrendered a late goal and then lost in a shootout. The Lions have lost six league matches by one goal this season. For that reason, coach Bryan Winkler credited his seniors – Kelly Brudvik, Malia Brudvik, Emilee Greve, Leanna Harris and Ellie Ness – for helping to ensure those struggles did not demoralize the team.
“I’m really pleased with their leadership throughout the season because we’ve lost our share of close games,” Winkler said. “We’ve hit the post and crossbar plenty this season. We didn’t dwell on that. We came out and played quality soccer.
“I’m really pleased with our kids composure and work rate.”
Auburn Mountainview already has clinched the league’s fifth – and final – playoff spot. That means the Lions will have to win three loser-out games during next week’s West Central District Tournament to return to state for a third consecutive year.
“I’m not concerned about the seeding,” Winkler said. “We get to the dance and everything is 0-0. You can play the seeding game all you want. I think it has more to do with keeping your kids focused, dialed in and working together.”
The Ravens (10-5-0, 9-4-0) will face a shorter route to state. They cannot finish worse than third in SPSL 3A, which means they need two district wins to qualify for state for the first time since 2007.
But Auburn Riverside coach Paul Lewis is a little more concerned that his team has not scored during its last three contests.
“Hopefully, we can put some balls in the back of the net,” he said.
The Ravens’ best opportunity against Auburn Mountainview came during the third minute when freshman midfielder Talia Samuelson had a breakaway shot saved by Holly Hytrek. Lewis attributed that to inexperience, saying that “senior-junior savvy when you get into that spot right there” might result in a goal.
“I felt like we played well enough to win the game,” Lewis said. “We created enough opportunities that should have resulted in shots on goal.”
