Overlake coach Sally Goodspeed has been telling her players to embrace their success and enjoy the ride through the 1A state girls soccer tournament.
The Owls don’t get to do this every day, the coach said.
On Saturday afternoon, they etched their way into the Overlake history book by netting the school’s first girls soccer title with a 3-0 win over La Salle in the final at Shoreline Stadium.
“We’re on such a high right now. The whole team is enjoying it. We’re all just soaking it in,” said senior midfielder Taylor Olson.
She said the Owls have become a tight-knit family unit this season. She’s grateful to be part of the championship squad, which also won the Emerald City League title with an 11-0 record.
The girls notched four straight shutouts in state play and capped their season with a 19-1 record.
Sophomore forward Janna Basra tallied first in the seventh minute, securing the rebound in the right corner off an Alex Hobbs shot and sending it into the back of the net.
“I saw the ball out in the field, and I said, ‘Oh, this is my chance,’ so I went and took a shot and it went in,” Basra said. On whether it was the biggest goal of her life: “Um, yeah, it’s up there,” she added with a laugh.
Emerald City League most valuable player Jaquelin Nordhoff scored next in the 40th minute with a 35-yard blast.
Serena Home, a sophomore forward, completed the scoring in the 42nd minute, knocking the ball in after a mad scramble in front of the net.
“It’s really amazing. We’ve been working for this all year, so it’s just so cool for it to actually come true,” said Nordhoff, a sophomore midfielder who finished the season with 10 goals. “We’ve just come so far. We’ve learned to work together as a team so much better, and it showed.”
Added senior goalkeeper Julia Noble on her shutouts: “It’s amazing, but it’s not just me, it’s my teammates, too, and I’m so grateful for them. They make me feel very safe back there. I trust them and it’s a team effort, really.”
Noble is impressed with her teammates while watching them from her goalkeeper position. It’s a cohesive team that puts it all together just right on the field. Basra added that the girls practice hard and encourage each other the whole way.
The Overlake student fans played a huge role, as well, rooting throughout the match and chanting players’ names when they made a stellar play.
“The fans make all the difference, honestly,” Noble said. “If you’re having a hard time, they cheer you on. It really motivates you and they’re part of this team, too.”
Overlake athletic director John Wiley said he’s glad an Overlake girls team has finally tasted a state victory after Owl squads lost in the state final three previous times.
“Sally’s a great coach. We had a lot of talent coming in, but it takes more than that — it takes a team. I’m ecstatic about what they’ve been able to achieve,” he said.
Following Friday night’s intense 1-0 win over King’s in the semifinals, Goodspeed said she never doubted that her squad would be ready for another go on Saturday.
“I think it was a perfect cap to such a special season. These girls have been just remarkable every day. They work hard, they just never quit. You know you’re gonna get 100 percent out of them,” said the league coach of the year for the second straight season. Goodspeed noted that she wouldn’t have won those honors without a solid team on her side.
Hobbs scored 14 goals this season and was reaching for another when she collided with the La Salle goalkeeper near the end of the match and injured her left leg. While standing on crutches with a bag of ice wrapped around her leg after the match, Hobbs discussed her team’s victory.
“Overlake, this year, has been one of the best experiences of my life playing with the team. I feel this year we really turned it on — going after the ball and wanting to win it all,” Hobbs said. “Right from the beginning, we had a group text, that says, ‘State 2016.’ So I think having that mindset really helped us achieve our goal.”
Hobbs said her leg was fine, and added after chuckling a bit: “This is making history and I’m really proud to be a part of it.”
Behind her, some Overlake players lifted the championship trophy and hugged again just like the team had done after the match was finished. With the trophy in their hands, they made their way off the field toward the Overlake parents, who were anxiously awaiting another celebration near the grandstand.
Extra kicks
• Sophomore defender Kayla Ngai earned a sportsmanship medal for her play during the final.
• Overlake began its season with a 2-0 victory over La Salle on Sept. 9. The Owls’ only loss this season was by a 1-0 score to King’s in the 1A Bi-District 1/2 final.
• On garnering league MVP, Nordhoff said: “It was pretty great. Our coach says that all individual awards come back to the team, but it was definitely nice to be rewarded. So, it was cool.”
• Overlake played the semifinal and final without freshman forward Smith Hunter, who was competing at the 2016 U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Girls Thanksgiving Interregional in Boca Raton, Fla.The league rookie of the year had 18 goals this season.
• Senior goalkeeper Oli Wilson played the last few minutes during the final and made a save, prompting the student section to cheer her name. Sophomore midfielder Sofia Beachman assisted on Nordhoff’s goal.
