SHORELINE - Besides winning a Class 2A state title, Sehome's Hanna Tarleton said the Mariners had one season objective. That was ending the year on a game Sehome could be proud of.

Mission accomplished.

As the final seconds ticked away on the Shoreline Stadium scoreboard during Sehome's windy, rainy Class 2A State Tournament championship match against Sumner, many of the Mariners players fell to the turf, feeling the sting of defeat. Sumner made a dog pile near midfield in celebration.

The Mariners' thrilling postseason run ended just short of a state title.

"I think we had a great last game," Tarleton said. "Kind of the goal the whole season was to go out on a game we were proud of, and I think we can be proud of that finish. Last year was a really tough finish. This year, it hurts not to win, but we couldn't have played a better game, and that's a good feeling to leave with."

Last season, Sehome's high expectations were dashed after losing to Cedarcrest in a state quarterfinal in front of a home crowd at Civic Stadium.

One minor defensive lapse cost Sehome the game. In the 34th minute, Sumner star forward Kaylie Rozell played a perfect cross into the heart of the Mariners' box to teammate Kaitie Huff. Before Sehome keeper Rachel Albert could react, Huff blasted Rozell's cross into the top the goal. The Mariners couldn't solve Sumner's strong, physical and tall defense and lost 1-0 Saturday, Nov. 17, in Shoreline.

The one-goal margin made the loss extra gut-wrenching.

"They played great," said Sehome coach Andria Fountain while fighting back tears. "It's a little frustrating. You almost wish you lost four nothing, because it would have sunk in a little bit. This team, nobody ever thought they were going to be in the championship game, so I think it hits them a little harder, because they actually thought they had a chance. I just feel bad for my seniors."

The Mariners did have chances, though not many against Sumner's defense, which has allowed only three goals this year.

Sehome's Emily Webster took several long, hopeful shots during the game. Christine Zlotek and Marie Kochman each puts shots five feet over the cross bar. Mariners' Nikki Thon nearly scored off a Tarleton cross, but her shot was blocked at the last moment by a Sumner defender's leg.

A second-place trophy isn't bad consolation for a group with as many question marks as answers heading into the season.

"I think we impressed everyone by getting into the finals, because we weren't predicted to," Thon said. "I think we honestly brought all we could. The other team was really good, and we had a good game. Overall, we're really proud of ourselves for making it this far."

Sehome's defense composed of Hannah Mankle, Emily Russell, Alli Umbaugh, Bryce Sherif, Kate Peterson, Heron Paulsen-Quick, Katie Boon-Dooley, Teya Mischaikov and Kelsey Willis, as well as Albert in goal, posted a string of 283 straight minutes without giving up a goal in the state tournament.

The Mariners' backline continued to impress in the state final, especially Alli Umbaugh, who marked Rozell most of the game.

"Alli Umbaugh did an awesome job marking No. 7," Mankle said. "She totally shut her down. I felt like we held our own, and I thought we played well as a team."

Team play is what helped Sehome to a 20-2-1 record, a Northwest Conference title and a state championship game berth.

"I think our group was just all heart," Tarleton said. "We didn't depend on one single player (this year). Every game different people were scoring, different people were being the key players to make those perfect balls. That's what it came down to. This time out our team was a whole. We all wanted it, and that's something we haven't had in the past, and I'm really proud of that this season."

Fountain once again preached a fast-start attitude to her club. Sehome scored in the third minute of its semifinal match against West Valley Yakima on Friday, Nov. 16, and rolled from there. Sumner seemed to be the side in attack mode early.

The Rams' work rate finally paid off when Huff snuck behind the Mariners' backline and scored the eventual game-winning goal from close range.

"I think we just got caught flat footed a little bit," said Fountain of the Sumner goal. "Alli did a good job of standing (Rozell) up. We haven't had people who outrun us very easily, so we're used to staying with our marks. I would have liked to see us double team her, so that way she couldn't have even gotten that cross off. It was a nice cross and a nice finish."

Sehome pressed and pressed and pressed to equalize, but one sequence after another failed, as the Shoreline Stadium's running clock slowly dissolved Sehome's state title dreams.

Thon had the Mariners' best scoring chance in the first half and, during the second 40, every time Sehome breached Sumner's defensive third, one of the Rams' defenders cleared the ball.

"They have a really strong defense, and they are big," Fountain said. "That's one of the things we've been working on. We have younger forwards, and we've been trying to get them more experience at this level. It's hard when you're playing bigger, stronger people. We just didn't get close enough to get some of the opportunity shots I would have liked to have had."

Tarleton had a visible advantage on her side of the field, regularly outrunning her marker, but Sehome kept getting log jammed in the middle and rarely stretched the field side to side. When Sehome did, Tarleton sent in some threatening crosses.

Marie Kochman gave Sehome its best scoring chance in the final 10 minutes. She found some open space in the middle of the field at the 78th minute-mark, but her shot sailed high.

"I thought we played our guts out," Albert said. "If we had told people that we were going to make it this far before the season started, no one would have believed us. I'm proud of how far we came. I'm really proud of how we came together and played. We battled, and it just didn't go our way."

Reach Andrew Lang at andrew.lang@bellinghamherald.com or call 360-756-2862.

SUMNER 1, SEHOME 0

Scoring: Goal: Kaitie Huff (Sumner), assist: Kaylie Rozell, time: 34. Shots on goal: Sehome 5; Sumner 6. Goalies (saves): Sehome: Rachel Albert (5); Sumner: Jamie Lange (5).

SEHOME (20-2-1), (12-0-0) Sept. 4 at Ferndale W 2-1 Sept. 6 at Squalicum (Civic) T 2-2 Sept. 8 Bellingham (Civic) W 2-1 Sept. 11 Lynden Christian (Northwest)* W 5-2 Sept. 13 Sedro-Woolley (Northwest)* W 5-0 Sept. 18 at Anacortes* W 4-0 Sept. 20 Squalicum (Civic)* W 1-0 Sept. 22 Lynden (Northwest) W 3-0 Sept. 25 Ferndale (Civic)* W 3-0 Sept. 27 at Mount Baker* W 4-0 Oct. 2 at Bellingham (Civic)* W 2-0 Oct. 4 Blaine (Northwest)* W 3-1 Oct. 11 at Lynden (Bender)* W 5-0 Oct. 16 Nooksack Valley (Civic)* W 10-0 Oct. 18 at Meridian* W 5-0 Oct. 22 at Burlington-Edison* W 3-0 CLASS 2A DISTRICT TOURNAMENT Oct. 27 Cedarcrest (at Civic Stadium) W 5-2 Oct. 30 Granite Falls (at Civic Stadium) W 2-1 (SO) Nov. 1 Squalicum L 2-1 CLASS 2A STATE TOURNAMENT Nov. 7 North Kitsap W 3-0 Nov. 10 Klahowya W 1-0 (SO) Nov. 16 West Valley (Yakima) W 4-0 Nov. 17 Sumner L 1-0 SECOND PLACE

SEHOME’S SCORING LEADERS Goals Asst. Points Emily Webster 21 11 53 Hanna Tarleton 13 17 43 Teya Mischaikov 10 1 21 Nikki Thon 6 6 18 Kate Peterson 5 1 11 Ashley Mindnich 4 2 10 Alia Jones 2 4 8 Hannah Mankle 3 1 7 Christine Zlotek 2 3 7 Marie Kochman 2 1 5 Haidyn Weight 2 0 4 Alli Umbaugh 1 1 3 Rachel Albert 1 1 3 Bryce Sherif 0 2 2 Emily Russell 1 0 2

SEHOME’S 2012 ROSTER No. Player Yr. Pos. 0 Rachel Albert Sr. GK 00/1 Hannah Lauffer Jr. GK 3 Haidyn Weight Jr. M 4 Ashley Mindnich Jr. F 5 Hanna Tarleton Sr. M 6 Savanna Balfour Jr. D 7 Alia Jones Jr. F 9 Bryce Sherif Fr. D 10 Marie Kochman Jr. F 11 Kate Peterson So. F 15 Hannah Mankle Sr. D 16 Emily Russell Sr. D 17 Christine Zlotek Sr. M 18 Heron Paulsen-Quick Sr. D/M 19 Teya Mischaikov Sr. M/D 20 Katie Boon-Dooley Fr. D 22 Kelsey Willis Jr. D 23 Alli Umbaugh Sr. D 24 Emily Webster Jr. M

SEASON RECAP: SEHOME MARINERS

Sehome 2, Ferndale 1 Sept. 4 at Ferndale High School Emily Webster and Hanna Tarleton get Sehome off to a strong start in its season opener, as both players score second half goals. Webster scores in the 41st minute, and Tarleton scores in the 59th. The Mariners put 20 shots on frame, and Rachel Albert makes seven saves.

Sehome 2, Squalicum 2 Sept. 6 at Civic Stadium Two games in, and Sehome's record suffers its first blemish. Emily Webster adds her second goal in as many games in the 69th minute, and Hanna Tarleton scores her second goal of the year in the 33rd minute as Sehome ties its city rival.

Sehome 2, Bellingham 1 Sept. 8 at Civic Stadium Hanna Tarleton enjoys a career first by scoring on a corner kick in the first minute of the match. Six minutes later, she adds her second goal for her fourth score of the season. Rachel Albert makes a game-high 12 saves to put her at 28 saves through the first three matches.

Sehome 5, Lynden Christian 2 Sept. 11 at Northwest Soccer Park Hannah Mankle, Teya Mischaikov, Kate Peterson and Emily Webster score goals in the first 16 minutes to help Sehome win its Northwest Conference season opener. Webster adds her second goal late in the sec-ond half, and Ashley Mindnich has two assists.

Sehome 5, Sedro-Woolley 0 Sept. 13 at Northwest Soccer Park Sehome’s first shutout of the season ignites a string of seven straight matches without giving up a goal. Teya Mischaikov scores twice in the first half and adds an assist. Hanna Tarleton, Emily Webster and Haidyn Weight each score goals.

Sehome 4, Anacortes 0 Sept 18 at Anacortes High School The Mariners improve to 5-0-1 on the back of Emily Webster’s hat trick. Nikki Thon has two assists, and Alia Jones scores her first goal of the season and also has an assist. Sehome puts 12 shots on frame com-pared to Anacortes’ three.

Sehome 1, Squalicum 0 Sept. 20 at Civic Stadium Defenders Emily Russell, Hannah Mankle, Alli Umbaugh and Bryce Sherif help Sehome get revenge on Squalicum by holding the Storm scoreless. Emily Webster scores the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute for her Northwest Conference-leading ninth score of the season.

Sehome 3, Lynden 0 Sept. 22 at Northwest Soccer Park Nikki Thon opens Sehome’s scoring in the eighth minute, and Emily Webster scores two goals for her sixth score in three games. The Mariners’ defense puts together its fourth straight shutout. Hanna Tarleton and Bryce Sherif both add assists in the non-league win.

Sehome 3, Ferndale 0 Sept. 25 at Civic Stadium Led by Hanna Tarleton’s two goals, Sehome scores three times in the second half to improve to 8-0-1. Ashley Mindnich scores in the 78th minute, and Tarleton and Hannah Mankle record assists. The Mariners beat Ferndale for the second time.

Sehome 4, Mount Baker 0 Sept. 27 at Mount Baker High School The Mariners spread the wealth in Deming, as four different Sehome players score. Hannah Mankle and Emily Webster score in the first half, and Teya Mischaikov and Haidyn Weight add second-half goals. Se-home puts 23 shots on goal, while Mount Baker manages only one.

Sehome 2, Bellingham 0 Oct. 2 at Civic Stadium Sehome completes a season sweep of its city-rival and records its seventh straight shutout. Emily Webster heads in a memorable goal in the 33rd minute off a cross from Hanna Tarleton. Nikki Thon adds a goal in the 42nd minute off Tarleton’s second assist of the match.

Sehome 3, Blaine 1 Oct. 4 at Northwest Soccer Park Defender Alli Umbaugh scores her first goal of the season, but the Mariners’ defensive scoreless streak, which lasted 599 minutes and spanned 21 days, is finally snapped. Hanna Tarleton and Kate Peterson score goals, and Alia Jones and Emily Webster record assists.

Sehome 5, Lynden 0 Oct. 11 at Bender Field Kate Peterson, Christine Zlotek and Marie Kochman score and Ashley Mindnich records two goals, as the Mariners score five times in the first 54 minutes. Emily Webster has two assists, and Sehome tallies its eighth shutout of the season to improve to 12-0-1.

Sehome 10, Nooksack Valley 0 Oct. 16 at Civic Stadium The Mariners enjoy a little fun on senior night, as coach Andria Fountain allows players to play out of posi-tion. Rachel Albert, Hannah Mankle, Emily Russell, Alia Jones, Kate Peterson and Hanna Tarleton score. Emily Webster and Teya Mischaikov record two goals apiece.

Sehome 5, Meridian 0 Oct. 18 at Meridian High School Christine Zlotek shuts down Taylor Lunde, and Alli Umbaugh and Hannah Mankle put the clamps on Lexi McKinnon, as Sehome posts its 10th shutout in its last 11 matches. Emily Webster, Kate Peterson, Ashley Mindnich, Hanna Tarleton and Marie Kochman all score.

Sehome 3, Burlington-Edison 0 Oct. 22 at Burlington-Edison High School Sehome finishes its regular season undefeated, perfect in league play and wraps up a Northwest Confer-ence title. Nikki Thon has a goal and an assist, and Emily Webster scores a goal and records two assists. Christine Zlotek scores her second goal of the season.

Sehome 5, Cedarcrest 2 Oct. 27 at Civic Stadium The Mariners brush off a shaky start to score four goals in a 10 minute second-half span to get revenge on Cedarcrest, which ended Sehome’s season in 2011. Hanna Tarleton has a goal and two assists, and Emily Webster scores twice and records one assist. Nikki Thon and Teya Mischaikov also score.

Sehome 2, Granite Falls 1 (SO) Oct. 30 at Civic Stadium Rachel Albert blocks two shots during a shootout, and Alli Umbaugh seals the win with game-winning penalty kick as the Mariners escape the Tigers’ upset bid to advance to the Northwest District final. Teya Mischai-kov scores in the 53rd minute off an assist from Emily Webster, and Sehome clinches a state berth.

Squalicum 2, Sehome 1 Nov. 1 at Civic Stadium Nikki Thon’s equalizing goal in the 45th minute isn’t enough, as Squalicum scores in the 70th to hand the Mariners their first loss of the season, which sends Sehome on the road for the state tournament. Sehome outshoots Squalicum 10-5 in the match.

Sehome 3, North Kitsap 0 Nov. 7 at North Kitsap Stadium Hanna Tarleton’s two-goal effort, coupled with strong defensive play, sends Sehome into the state quarterfi-nals. Tarleton’s goal in the 39th minute is assisted by Kate Peterson, and Teya Mischaikov’s late goal is assisted by Tarleton.

Sehome 1, Klahowya 0 (SO) Nov. 10 at Silverdale Teya Mischaikov, Emily Webster and Hannah Mankle help preserve Sehome’s season as the trio convert’s their PK’s in the Mariners’ 3-1 shootout win. The win marks the second straight shutout for Sehome’s de-fense and sends the 19-1-1 Mariners into the Class 2A State Tournament semifinals.

Sehome 4, West Valley Yakima 0 Nov. 16 at Shoreline Stadium Scores by Teya Mischaikov and Nikki Thon in the first 16 minutes help send the Mariners to the Class 2A State Tournament title game. Sehome’s defensive state scoreless streak remains intact, and Emily Webster scores two second-half goals to seal the win.

Sumner 1, Sehome 0 Nov. 17 at Shoreline Stadium Sumner is the first team in the state tournament to score on the Mariners, as Sehome falls to Sumner in the Class 2A State Tournament title game, despite an inspired effort by Sehome’s defense. Sumner’s Kaitie Huff scores from eight yards out off a cross from teammate Kaylie Rozell in the 34th minute. Sehome set-tles for a second-place state finish and finishes the season 20-2-1.

Reach ANDREW LANG at andrew.lang@bellinghamherald.com or call ext. 862.