The Kentwood High girls soccer team didn’t come away with the prize it wanted from the Class 4A state tournament.
But the Conquerors certainly did end the season on the right note Saturday afternoon at Harry E. Lang Stadium in Lakewood.
Behind a goal from sophomore midfielder Reilly Retz in the 15th minute on an assist from Dana Wareham, and the usual stout Kentwood defense, the Conquerors turned back Kamiakin 1-0 in a Class 4A state soccer match for third place.
It’s the second time in Kentwood’s final three games that Retz has delivered what proved to be the winning goal. Retz also scored Kentwood’s lone goal in last week’s 1-0 state quarterfinal win over South Kitsap.
Ending the season with a win was huge, Kentwood coach Aaron Radford said.
“Oh, it was very, very important,” the coach noted. “It feels a whole lot better talking to the girls, the coaches and the athletic director. It’s disappointing to be in the position not to play for the title, but it was good to play — and win — on the final day of the season.”
Courtney Johnson and Megan Walburn combined in goal for the shutout, Kentwood’s 19th of the season.
On the lone goal of the game, Retz tossed the ball in from the right corner to Wareham. Wareham delivered it back to Retz, who promptly deposited the ball into the back of the net.
“The (Kamiakin) goalkeeper got a finger on it, but it wasn’t enough,” Radford said. “We got a fortunate bounce on it.”
Which is something the Conquerors didn’t receive less than 24 hours earlier in a state semifinal game against Skyline, when Kentwood lost in a shootout, 1-0. Skyline went on to beat Issaquah for the state title. It’s the Spartans’ second straight state championship.
The third-place finish is the best in Kentwood history. In fact, until this season, the Conquerors had not advanced past the state quarterfinals.
“To get a win and finish in third was much, much more than we ever would have expected,” said Radford, whose team took second to Tahoma in the South Puget Sound League North Division this fall. “We set out a goal to be in the top four every year, but when you make it a reality, you realize how important and how nice that is.”
The Conquerors will graduate seven players from this year’s team: Wareham, Walburn, Rachel Bindl, Clarisa Hammer, McKenzie Meyers, Alex White and Alex Drazic.
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