After a consolation semifinal exit a year ago, Lynden’s primary goal this season under a first-year coach was to make it back to districts. With that goal achieved, the Lions on Saturday went one step farther: winning the whole tournament.
Fifth-seeded Lynden defeated No. 6 Bellingham for the 2A District 1 championship in a scoreless, stalemate match which the Lions won via penalty kicks, 5-4.
“We feel like we’re knocking some of those challenges off the list,” Lynden coach Clark Bourgault said. “It just feels really good for the girls to feel success, because I know this senior group hasn’t had that, and it’s contagious.”
Lynden and Bellingham are each headed to the 2A state tournament for the first time since 2017.
“For me, ever since freshman year, we’ve been saying our goal is to get to state,” Lynden senior goalkeeper Sam Escobar said. “In senior year, to finally accomplish that, it’s unbelievable.”
Neither team was able to scrounge up much offensive momentum in the first 20 minutes of the game. Some unlikely shots and free kicks were missed as the match remained scoreless.
In the 22nd minute, Escobar saved a shot by Bellingham on the match’s most aggressive attack at that point. Two minutes later, one of the Bayhawks’ strikers collided with a Lynden defender as she pushed into the box. Escobar stepped into the kick and managed to steal away another save.
Bellingham sophomore striker Malia Hanks pushed into Lynden territory once again in the 34th minute, cutting loose a clean shot on goal that ricocheted off the crossbar, was headed by senior Sidney Evans and squeezed into the top of the net.
Whistles erupted as a handball was called on the shot, and the score was wiped off the board.
“It looked like it hit our girl’s chest, but that’s for the referees to make,” Bellingham coach Spencer Wolfe said.
Bellingham junior goalkeeper Opal Barker saved a straight-on shot in the final minute of the first half, and both teams went into the break with zeroes on the board.
The Bayhawks broke free early in the second half, as a blocked shot on goal rebounded back to senior striker Harmony Smith, who tried to squeeze a follow-in between Escobar and the right goal post. It went off the post and out, and Bellingham nearly followed up that shot once again but had it blocked.
Smith had another impressive shot on goal in the 58th minute from the far-right side of the field, soaring just barely over the crossbar.
Regulation ended with neither team able to find the back of the net.
Lynden and Bellingham entered two five-minute, sudden-death overtime periods. It continued to be more of the same, as each team made its case but neither prevailed. After all periods of play had been exhausted, it was time for penalty kicks.
It was the second-straight game to be decided by PKs for both teams. On Nov. 1, Lynden defeated Archbishop Murphy 2-1 (4-2) and Bellingham took down Sehome by the same result.
Bellingham’s Smith and Lynden senior forward Adia Newcomb each netted the first two shots. On the next kick, Escobar made a diving save to give Lynden the advantage. The Lions and Bayhawks made all their shots from there, and Lynden sophomore midfielder Maliah Mitchell sank the last one to give the Lions the 5-4 shootout win.
“We really just go out here and have fun because it’s something that we love to do,” Mitchell said.
Lynden and Bellingham both pushed through a tough district road to reach the championship match. Each team’s state seeding should be assisted by strong showings in the inaugural postseason bracket. Seeding for the 2A state tournament will be announced on Nov. 6.
“Hopefully we’ve done what we need to be able to host a state game and have somebody travel all the way up here to play us,” Bourgault said.
Wolfe said he was proud of his team’s performance, and they are glad there are still more games ahead of them.
“We’re happy with how we played today, the result didn’t go our way but we felt like we played a good game,” Wolfe said. “We got out of here with no injuries and we’re still going to state … we still have more soccer to play, which is the best part.”
