Colville Girls Soccer Keeps Rolling with Third Straight Win

With the exception of some very powerful volleyball teams, Colville girls soccer has had the hottest stretch of any team in northeast Washington. Colville defeated Medical Lake 2-1 on Sept. 29, giving the Crimson Hawks their third consecutive victory and continuing a strong turnaround after an uneven start to the season. “A one goal game is always stressful and when you’re playing on a field significantly smaller than you are used to, it exposes you to unexpected opportunities for the opponent,” Colville Head Coach Tasha Luu said. “The team handled that pressure well by adjusting on the fly to make sure we didn’t make the same mistake twice defensively and to change our attack offensively.”

Kailani Terry and Natalie Housworth provided the goals for Colville, with Kelsea Lewis and Reagan Giroux supplying the assists. The win followed Colville’s back-to-back victories over Rogers and Omak, extending what has become the team’s best stretch of the season. Against Medical Lake, the Crimson Hawks did not need the offensive “explosion they showed in the 9-1 win over Rogers. Instead, they found a way to win a much tighter match. “The difference in our team this year is our offensive mentality and ability to finish shots,” Luu said.

Terry scored one of Colville’s two goals off an assist from Lewis, while Housworth added the other with Giroux setting up the scoring play. Terry has scored in every contest this year for the Crimson Hawks. “Kailani is an all around athlete,” Luu said. “She knows how to strike a ball with power and placement; add that to her speed up top and she challenges any back line to their max. She quickly established her importance on the team by consistently putting point on the board. It’s one thing to get past a back line as a forward but then to finish the shot with a keeper coming towards you is the icing on top. She is what we have been needing to add to our dominant back line and aggressive midfield to complete a solid team.” That balance has been one of the encouraging signs during Colville’s three-game run.

The Crimson Hawks have found production from several different players rather than relying on a single scorer. The Crimson Hawks overwhelmed Rogers with offense, scoring nine goals. Against Omak, they leaned on defense in a 2-0 shutout. Then came Medical Lake, where Colville had to protect a one-goal margin and grind out a 2-1 result, showing they can win yet another style of soccer game. “We have nine seniors this year which gives us a higher level of soccer experience,” Luu said. “We are able to attack from all areas of the field and have trained hard on placement of the shot over power. When you can predict where the goal keeper is going to be, the shots can be placed confidently rather than shot randomly. This team has asked for and soaked up the training for that this year, they are very goal hungry and it’s really fun to watch.”

Colville has equaled its win total from last year where they were just one win away from the state tournament. With a large chunk of league play still looming, the Crimson Hawks are heating up at the right time. “We know that with every game we are getting better,” Luu said. “I think we are a strong contender for the top spot in league play as we continue to trust each other and possess the ball like we have. I’m very confident in my defensive line and know that they will be hard to score on.