BLAINE — Evelyn Saldivar scored her second consecutive hat trick and Lynden girls soccer is on to the 2A state quarterfinals after defeating Selah 3-1 in the opening round Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Blaine High School.
The 8th-seeded Lions (14-4-3) pushed their win streak to five, and the win sends them to face top-seeded and undefeated West Valley of Spokane (19-0). The game will likely be played Saturday, Nov. 11 in Spokane.
Lynden coach Clark Bourgault thinks his team is hitting their stride at the right time.
“I think it was just finally coming together; some of the concepts we’ve been trying to teach and finding that self-belief,” Bourgault said.
Bourgault was unsure his team believed in themselves enough at the beginning of the year, when the Lions started the season off with a tie and a loss. But they kept using that adversity and turning it into toughness, he said.
It showed on Wednesday against a Selah team that entered the match winning five of its last six.
Lynden opened the game with constant pressure against the visiting Vikings (12-5-1). The front three of Mallary Villars, Faith VanBrocklin and Saldivar won almost every second ball and went to goal.
Lynden held off Selah from getting a chance until the 12th minute, when a shot from the Vikings went well wide.
In the 28th minute, after an earlier penalty was missed, Saldivar won a penalty after winning the ball in front of the goalie. Selah goalkeeper Sarah Russell was forced to take her down. Saldivar calmly finished the penalty to keep her hot streak going and put the Lions up 1-0.
Two minutes later in the 30th minute, Saldivar doubled the lead and her goal total when the ball bounced to her outside the box, and she ripped a long-range shot that went into the top corner, giving the Lions a 2-0 cushion.
The game looked out of reach for the Vikings until Selah senior Madison Huri played a ball through to senior teammate Adley Franklin in the 35th minute, where Franklin scored a one-on-one goal to cut the lead in half right before the break.
In the second half, Selah built up a little momentum, but the star power of Villars and Saldivar prevented Selah from having many meaningful possessions. Both Lynden forwards had no problem dribbling through multiple Selah defenders, and the Vikings responded with harsh tackling.
In the 59th minute, Selah missed out on their best chance of the game.
The Vikings went short on a corner and the ball connected to Selah captain Alejandra Salcedo, who fired a shot on goal that was nicely saved by Lynden keeper Allyson Bartlett. The ball landed inside the 6-yard box and after a crazy scramble in the middle, the ball was cleared out.
Saldivar delivered the knockout punch when she won another penalty in the 80th minute, picking herself up and finishing off her hat trick to end the game, 3-1.
“It just feels amazing and I’m excited for the next game,” Saldivar said.
Bourgault commended the team for playing with heart. Going into a tough matchup with the No. 1 seed, he plans on trying to change formations so his team becomes harder to scout.
