Skyline defeats Newport in district soccer tournament

The Skyline Spartans sent the Newport Knights packing after a 3-1 victory on Tuesday in the 2024 district soccer tournament.

As both teams fought hard for control of the ball, it seemed the first half would end scoreless. Then, at 5:36 remaining in the half, Newport launched a long pass downfield, catching the Skyline goalie, Thomas Malloy, out of the box. A light tap from Newport’s Brennan Jones redirected the ball towards the goal and through the posts for an unexpected 1-0 Knights advantage.

To stay in the competition, the Spartans had to answer. With less than two minutes remaining in the half, Skyline had control of the ball with an inbound throw. Kyle Kropp threw the ball into a cluster of players vying for position in front of the Newport goal. With a quick snap of the head, Spartan midfielder Blake Seymour found the net to end the half with a 1-1 tie.

While both teams fought hard in the second half, the remainder of the night belonged to Skyline. The combination of Colin McKenna and Seymour paid off as Seymour added a second goal on another header for a 2-1 Skyline lead with 24:27 remaining in the match.

To seal the deal, McKenna added another assist to his stats when he found forward James Cairns at the goal line with another throw-for-header into the goal for a 3-1 final score with nine minutes left to play.

Try as they might, the Knights could not add to the board, ending their district play for the 2024 season.

Skyline will play Lake Stevens at Lake Stevens at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, as they continue their campaign for the state title.