Eastlake Lady Wolves suffer loss to Kamiak at home opener
Despite valiant efforts, the Eastlake Lady Wolves lost, 1-3, to the Kamiak Knights in their Sept. 19 match-up.
The match began with aggressive play from the Lady Wolves as defenders Grace Kinney, Brielle Stuesse, and Captain Hailey Phillips all drove the Knights out of bounds on early possessions.
Kinney, the Lady Wolves’ star of the evening, showed the Knights what she could do when she gained control of the ball early in the first half. Kinney managed to skillfully dodge half Knights team as she dribbled downfield on a 30-yard sprint to score the game’s first goal. The Wolves took the lead, 1-0, and the Knights knew they would need to step up their offense if they were going to make any progress.
The Knights lost no time responding to the Wolves’ lead, quickly adding a goal to tie the match, 1-1, and end the first half.
As progress stalled in the second half, the Knights began to demonstrate their frustrations with more aggressive play. While Lady Wolf Malika Jaddi maintained consistent defense, one of the Knights bear-hugged her around the waist and pulled her down–not once, but twice, right as she was getting up. The crowd, expecting a red card, was shocked when the referee held up only a yellow. But the Lady Wolves were not intimidated as Jaddi picked herself up and continued to play without missing a beat.
Play continued back and forth as both teams fought hard for the advantage. Eventually, momentum broke for the Knights as they drove down field, slipping the ball past Wolves goalie Brielle Carey for a 2-1 late-in-the-game lead.
Reeling from the last goal, the Wolves were caught off guard when the Knights intercepted a pass from one of the Wolves’ defenders and scored again, bringing their lead to 3-1 with just two minutes remaining.
Try as they might, the Lady Wolves could not regain control of the game, resulting in a disheartening, hard-fought loss to the Kamiak Knights.
Though disappointed by the loss, Lady Wolves coach Molly Hill was proud of her team and recognized her players’ efforts. She specifically pointed out Kinney as the MVP of the game “because she scored the goal and had a lot of help on the field too.”
“It was our first home game of the season, and I am excited for games in the future,” she said.
The Eastlake Lady Wolves will play the North Creek Jaguars on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at North Creek.
