BATTLE GROUND — The Hockinson High girls soccer season might’ve ended in the state quarterfinals on Saturday night, but by no means will the cupboard be bare in 2023.
Not even close, said the team’s lone senior, Allie Seekins.
“They’re going to come back next year even stronger,” she said. “They’re only losing me.”
It’s true. Seekins, a centerback recently turned attacker, is the lone senior departing from the Hawks’ team that in her words, made a surprise run to reach the Class 2A girls soccer state quarterfinals. It ended with a 2-1 loss to Enumclaw, which advances to the final four next weekend in Shoreline.
Hockinson, last year’s state-runner up, finishes its season at 14-11, but not before making the statement of the tournament. Earlier in the week, the Hawks, the No. 16 seed in a 16-team field, shocked top-seed and previously undefeated Fife, 2-1, for the right to host Enumclaw at Battle Ground’s District Stadium.
Where the Hawks started the season — replaces several graduated starters off the 2021 state runner-up team — versus where they ended it Saturday is all part of what was an amazing journey, Seekins said. After all, the Hawks replaced several graduated starters from last season’s team and finished fourth in the 2A Greater St. Helens League.
“We didn’t even really know that we were going to make it this far,” she said. …”I feel like it’s amazing that we did make it this far.”
Saturday against the Hornets, all of the game’s goals came in the first half. Gabi Martel’s short-range rebound shot gave Enumclaw (16-5-1) an early 1-0 lead, but Abby Dombrow’s equalizer came in the 27th minute with a shot 15 yards out. Enumclaw took the lead for good in stoppage time when Heidi Shoselth’s free kick from 35 yards went out of the reach of Hockinson keeper Ashley Suva.
In recent years, the 2A GSHL has shown why it’s arguably the top 2A league for girls soccer with strong state playoff showings and multiple teams reaching the final four. That included Hockinson reaching the title games in 2021 and 2019. Four 2A GSHL teams made this year’s 16-team state tournament field, and three — Columbia River, Hockinson and Ridgefield — made the state quarterfinals. This after the Hawks finished fourth in league play that included seven league losses. They went 2-2 in the district tournament.
But there’s a reason why Seekins believes the Hawks will be right back at this stage in 2023. That starts by welcoming back 17 of 18 varsity players.
“They’re just going to keep getting better and better,” she said.
CLASS 2A
Columbia River 2, West Valley (Spokane) 1: Alia Rust made 10 saves, including a number of clutch saves in the final minutes of the Rapids’ quarterfinal win in Spokane. It’s River’s sixth straight trip to the state semifinals, where it’ll face Tumwater in a rematch of the 2A District IV title game next Friday in Shoreline. Lili Mickel got the Rapids on the board in the 14th minute and Raya Janson’s insurance goal in the 77th made it 2-0.
Sehome 4, Ridgefield 1: The Mariners of Bellingham led 3-1 at halftime, as Ridgefield ends its season one game shy of the state semifinals.
