Saved PK turns the tide against Squalicum boys’ soccer at state
Squalicum had a chance to tie the score in the 67th minute, but Gig Harbor’s junior keeper Winston Sappenfield guessed right and saved Ale Tomasi’s shot to keep the Tides in the lead.
It was the biggest turning point in a wild, back-and-forth match in University Place, which Gig Harbor ultimately won 4-2 to advance to the state quarterfinals.
A conversion on the kick would have tied the score. But once Sappenfield made the stop, the Tides took the momentum and ran with it. In the 70th minute, Gig Harbor scored again, as Chase Tovey headed a free kick into the goal to make it 3-1.
Then, another penalty was awarded to Gig Harbor, as senior winger Jovani Martinez was taken down in the box. Senior Chase Alire stepped up and knocked down the goal – his second penalty kick conversion of the day.
Alire’s first PK actually came in the first half, in the 37th minute. Squalicum was given another penalty kick in the 79th minute. This time, Tomasi knocked it in to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Four penalty kicks were given out over the course of the game.
On goals that didn’t come from penalty kicks, the biggest was from Shawn Kimble, who patiently drifted across the goal to his right before sending a laser across goal and past the keeper to give the Tides the 2-1 lead.
“I saw some space and took my touch,” Kimble said. “I saw (Tovey) was coming across with a defender. So I touched it by him and it opened up a bunch of space. ... I just ripped it there and it went in.”
Gig Harbor coach Todd Northstrom, who recently praised Kimble for being an unselfish player, was happy to see his senior find the back of the net.
“He just came across his body and just buried it in the corner,” Northstrom said. “He’s been working so hard, he deserved that goal. He’s been so unselfish. I had a feeling he was going to get one tonight. That was a sweet one. I felt when we got that, I think we got this thing.”
Scoreboard
NWC STANDINGS
All | NWC | |
School (Class) | W-L-T | W-L-T |
Squalicum (3A) | 18-2-1 | 12-0-1 |
Bellingham (2A) | 13-4-1 | 11-1-1 |
Lynden (2A) | 13-5-1 | 10-2-1 |
Sehome (2A) | 10-5-5 | 8-1-4 |
Anacortes (2A) | 8-7-1 | 7-5-1 |
Burlington-Edison (2A) | 8-8-3 | 6-5-2 |
Meridian (1A) | 8-9-2 | 6-6-1 |
Sedro-Woolley (2A) | 7-7-3 | 5-6-2 |
Ferndale (3A) | 6-8-2 | 5-7-1 |
Mount Baker (1A) | 7-11-1 | 5-7-1 |
Blaine (2A) | 5-10-2 | 4-7-2 |
Lynden Christian (1A) | 2-13-2 | 1-10-2 |
Lakewood (2A) | 2-12-2 | 0-11-2 |
Nooksack Valley (1A) | 1-14-1 | 0-12-1 |
This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 7:27 AM with the headline "Saved PK turns the tide against Squalicum boys’ soccer at state."