A sobering sense of deja vu was apparent throughout The Overlake School girls’ soocer camp as the Owls fell just short of a 1A state title, losing 1-0 to Bush in the championship match Saturday afternoon at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

Just last year, the same Owls team stood on the same field on another chilly November day and watched Seattle Academy celebrate a 2-1 victory and state championship.

This year, the girls gave it everything they had to prevent it from happening again, but in the end Bush goalie Elise Wilcox and superstar forward Chloe Cross, who scored all eight of the Blazers’ goals in three state tournament games, proved too much to handle as they combined for the game’s only goal in the 62nd minute.

“They played a ton of effort today as they have every game all season,” said Owls’ head coach Sally Goodspeed. “I’m proud of my kids. They battled hard and certainly came out trying to win this game. We had our chances, but obviously it wasn’t our day.”

HARD-FOUGHT BATTLE

Just like the two teams’ previous meetings this season — a 1-0 Bush win in September and 0-0 draw back on Oct. 12 — the title game was an evenly-matched battle.

The Owls had a few chances early with four first-half shots on goal, but Wilcox stretched out her 6-foot-2 frame for some key stops.

“Elise (Wilcox) is a great goalie,” Goodspeed said. “I know that we feel like we have to have the best shot, the best finish to beat her… she made a couple killer saves on us today, and that’s tough.”

Aided by some spectacular Owl defense, including a shot-preventing tackle by Quinn Phillips on a cross in the 55th minute, the game remained scoreless until midway through the second half.

Wilcox boomed a goal kick down the left wing to a sprinting Cross, who controlled the ball, evaded a number of Owl defenders and pounded a 20-yard shot into the top of the net, just out of the reach of Overlake sophomore goalkeeper Zoe Pinczower.

The stifling Blazers’ defense prevented Overlake from scoring the equalizer, and the Owls were left with their second-consecutive runner-up trophy.

“We’ve had a couple of goals like that, (Wilcox) really can punt it far,” Cross said on her game-winner, adding that the Owls are always a tough matchup for the Blazers. “I can’t even believe it, it’s a dream come true.”

Overall, the Owls did a good job of containing Cross, who will be attending Brown University next fall. She ended up taking six of the Blazers’ first seven shots of the game.

“I thought our defense played really well and did a great job on Chloe,” Goodspeed noted. “You just can’t give her one chance because she’ll make you pay for it, and that’s what happened today.”

Blazers’ coach John Schneble, a former boys’ soccer coach at Overlake, was complimentary of both teams’ efforts, if not a bit surprised that his Blazers ran the table for their first championship.

“It was just believing that we could get to the next round, the next level, and they believed,” Schneble said. “I think we play in one the most difficult leagues in the state and it helps them prepare to be at that next level game in and game out.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE

After graduating eight starters from their 2009 runner-up squad, many dismissed the Owls of having any real chance to threaten in the postseason this year.

But don’t tell that to Goodspeed or her players.

“That speaks to how great this group is, how wonderfully hard these kids worked from day one to today,” she said on her young team’s amazing run. “I don’t know if anyone thought we would be here… it’s incredible the amount (of effort) they put in to put us in this position.”

Goodspeed had contributors from every grade level, from freshmen Meredith Adams (Emerald City League Rookie of the Year) and Jenay Brown, to sophomores Zoe Pinczower and Adrianna Gildner, juniors Audi Brezak, Kerri Smith and Caroline Roush and finally her team’s three seniors, Emily Caditz, Nikki Reynolds and team captain Emily Kelly.

“(Kelly) was huge for us all season, a leader on and off the field,” said Goodspeed. “She plays her heart out… we’re here a lot because of what she did with this team and this program this year, putting everybody on her back.”

Although the sting from the loss was still apparent, Goodspeed cracked a smile when thinking ahead to next season, when nearly all of her impact players return.

“I think the future is bright, for sure,” she said. “We have a great crew coming back and a lot of experience gained over last year. I know they’re heartbroken about the loss today, but hopefully they can get fired up to come back and try to do it again.”

The Owls finished the season with a record of 17-5-2.