REPORTER STAFF
After a near six-month layoff, the Overlake boys soccer team opens the Class 1A state tournament on Tuesday, May 13.
The Emerald City League is one of the few leagues in the state that play its soccer season in the fall. Most other team play in the spring — in large part because they have football where Emerald City does not — which is why the state tournament is in the spring. Overlake coach Bob Bristol has spoken several times about how this is a disservice to the Emerald City players.
The fact that Overlake even has this problem is a pleasant surprise. Following a 3-7-4 2007-08 season and starting nearly a half dozen sophomores last fall, Overlake started 1-4-1 and was last place in Emerald City.
But those young players caught on quick, meshed with the older players and finished the season 9-6-3. Overlake was the No. 4 seed in the District II tournament.
Overlake then pulled off the shocker of the season, defeating No. 1 seed Seattle Academy, 1-0, on Nov. 6 to reach state.
This will be the seventh time the Owls are in the state tournament since 1999, with their highest finish being the state runner-up in 2005.
LW’s Russell places 4th at Kingco tennis
Lake Washington’s Ashley Russell took fourth place and Redmond’s Megan Brown took fifth at the 4A Kingco singles tennis tournament, which was held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Nordstrom’s Center on the University of Washington Campus.
Brown and teammate Narumi Watanabe each had solid showings, but no Redmond or Lake Washington player will be going to state in the singles.
Russell had a bye in the first round and defeated Ballard’s Lucy Miner 6-2, 6-2 in the second. She also defeated Brown, from Redmond, 6-4, 6-2 before falling in the semifinals to Hallie Martin of Roosevelt.
On Wednesday, Russell won the first set but fell to Christine Cook of Garfield 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the third-fourth-place match.
Brown won her first two matches to reach the quartefinals. Brown defeated Garfield’s Jessica McFadden 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 in the first round and Eastlake’s Chelsa Tsujii 7-5, 6-3 in the second before finally succumbing to Russell. Brown beat Erin Kuboshige of Bothell 8-5 on Wednesday to finish fifth.
Watanabe defeated Kristin Dorr in the first round’s only three-set match 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-4. She was then swept by Garfield’s Christina Cook 6-0, 6-0.
The fourth local was Lake Washington’s Amanda Juarez, who fell to Juanita’s Kendra Francis 6-2, 6-4 in the first round.
Martin ended up winning the singles crown, defeating Inglemoor’s Coco Bator 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The two-day doubles tournament is scheduled to start Saturday at the Nordstrom’s Center and will end on Monday.
Pakzad leads Overlake golf
Alec Pakzad shot a one-over 36 as the Overlake boys tennis team defeated Seattle Academy 153-203 in a 1A Emerald City league match on Wednesday.
Philip Falco shot a 38 and Reid Fredrickson shot a 39 to lead the Owls.
