Prep Sports Report: Bellingham girls show their best soccer, finish fourth at state
TACOMA — Bellingham did not score in either the semifinals or the third/fourth place game of the 2A State Girls Soccer Tournament, but the Bayhawks were anything but a zero in the postseason.
Facing loser-out pressure in four district games and two state matches prior to the weekend, the Bayhawks (20-5) won all six, which stamped them as a team to remember.
However, the defending champion Ridgefield Spudders proved they richly deserved the state championship they won with a 2-0 win over Bellingham on Friday and a 1-0 victory over Columbia River on Saturday, both at Mount Tahoma High.
Ridgefield (22-1-1) did not give up a goal in four state games and finished their season with seven consecutive shutouts.
Bellingham lost 5-0 to West Valley of Spokane on Saturday, less than 16 hours after the Bayhawks “played really, really hard and gave Ridgefield a challenge,” as Bellingham coach Spencer Wolfe said. “It was not our best game, but we gave them a challenge.”
“Our girls have a lot of heart. I’m really proud of how our girls played against a state champion,” said Wolfe, himself a former Bellingham star whose team earned the school’s fourth state trophy since Bellingham reopened in 2000. Two trophies were for second place and two were for fourth.
West Valley was no slacker on defense, either. The Eagles (21-1-1) did not give up a goal to Columbia River in the semifinals, but the Rapids (20-3) won 1-0 in a shootout on penalty kicks 3-2.
Wolfe confirmed that his marvelous freshman goalkeeper, Uma Bachmeier — who had so many bright moments in 17 shutouts — “did not have a shot at stopping either goal.”
Ridgefield scored 11 minutes into the game on a remarkable shot by sophomore Savvy Semlick into the upper left corner of the goal. It was a 1-0 game until the 54th minute, when Nora Martin scored on a one-touch power shot to the side.
Martin is one of nine seniors who helped Ridgefield to a two-year record of 42-4-1.
Bellingham will lose 10 seniors, including leading scorers Ivy Newell (16 goals) and Ella Morrow (11). The other seniors are Grace Gouran, Kira Carlson, Ruby Jane Brown, Sloan Mahn, Katie Knies, Malia Hanks, Zoe Burke and Ellen White.
Bellingham also got many fine minutes from junior Beckett Ferry and sophomores Sophia Dionne, Samiah Rowe, Ana Rubey and Stella Eltrich, among others who will return for another bid at the school’s first state title.
After Bellingham suffered a 2-1 upset loss to Burlington-Edison on penalty kicks in a district opener, the Bayhawks scored 17 goals and posted four shutouts to win their next six games, including 3-0 over Pullman and 3-2 over Bainbridge in the first two rounds at state.
Gouran gained the special sportsmanship honor in Friday’s game for the Bayhawks, whose 20 wins set a program record.
Volleyball
In the first round of the 20-team 3A State Volleyball Tournament on Friday at the Yakima Sundome, 18th seed Ferndale lost a loser-out match to 15th seed Bellevue 25-15, 25-17, 25-20.
The Golden Eagles finished 13-9 and gave coach Michaela Tanis plenty of moments to cheer, including a 3-1 record at district, with their loss a five-set setback to district champion Lynnwood. Ferndale had to go 3-1 (11-4 in sets) in order to claim one of the four state spots allotted to District 1.
Ferndale loses seven seniors, including Lay Williams, Gabby Lenssen, Mariah Reyes, Olivia Copps, Amelie McKeon, Terrace Hendrickson and Kaylie Carver.
The non-seniors all had big moments all season, including juniors Katrina Ferry and Caitlyn Berg and sophomores Brooklyn Larrabee and Svetlana Baydak.
Ridgeline won the state 3A title match over North Thurston 18-25, 25-13, 21-25, 25-13, 15-6.
In the 2A finals a week earlier in Yakima, NWC champion Burlington-Edison took third over Archbishop Murphy 25-14, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23. Ellensburg — which eliminated Sehome in a shootout in the first round at state — lost to Columbia River in the title match, 25-19, 23-25, 13-25, 26-24, 15-8.
Girls Bowling
Meridian coach Gregg Hill reported victories in the team’s first two matches, 1490-1300 over Anacortes on Nov. 13 and 1511-1202 over Blaine on Nov. 18 at Mount Baker Lanes in Ferndale.
Against Anacortes, Claire Hinkleman rolled 122-138-260 and Dakota Hill rolled 138-116-254. Audrey Terpstra had a two-game 244 and Natalie Nunez entered at the start of game two and rolled a team-high 143.
Against Blaine, Hill rolled a 136-160-296, and Hinkleman had 118-138-254. Lauren Lipton had a 143 and Terpstra had a 131.
“Diva Marsh from the Bellingham Co-Op team is probably the best bowler in the county,” Hill said. “She leads the NWC with a 185.5 average and has a conference-leading 213.”
“We have some bowlers who will be just as competitive and our goal, like many others, is to reach the State Championship at Bowlero in Tukwila in February.”
The coach said Audrey Terpstra, a senior, competed at state last year and Dakota Hill, a junior, was an alternate at state. He said other key bowlers are Lipton and Hinkleman, both juniors in their third varsity seasons, and Nunez, a senior “who has worked hard over the summer and fall to make a significant impact.” The varsity team also includes Hanne Feller, Annabelle Thornton and Teyah Wong.
Other local scores reported on the conference web site are: Mount Vernon 1491, Ferndale 1407; and Everett 1623, Squalicum 1499. Not all scores are listed yet.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Prep Sports Report: Bellingham girls show their best soccer, finish fourth at state."
