PacNW snagged its first State Title at the conclusion of the club’s inaugural year on Sunday, May 12^th.  The Girls U15 group (G97 Maroon) was the last game of the day, the last Championship Weekend of the year, and the last chance for PacNW to grab a state title and the coveted ticket to the Region IV Championships in Honolulu next month.  The weekend started out very promising with 4 teams still alive in Championship Cup, and one in Challenge Cup on Semifinal Saturday.  Unfortunately for the G94M & G94B teams, the G95M & G95B teams, all lost some very tough battles on the pitch.  The G97M team would have to conquer a mighty foe to make it to Championship Sunday.  How they got there is an interesting tale of competition, guts, and perseverance.   

After a wild ride in Phoenix for the President’s Day Tourney, which ultimately resulted in a loss with Kicks From The Mark in the Final, the girls were worn out physically and mentally.  They took a couple weeks to recover before they righted the ship and climbed back up the Leaderboard of Division 1 of RCL play.  Ultimately, they were edged out of the top spot by Spokane Shadow by a single point.  This set the stage for a showdown in State Cup.  

The girls earned the top seed, and finished tied for the top spot of their pool, edging out the Vancouver Timbers on tiebreakers.  The tiebreaker held significance in the Quarterfinal, because the top team faced the second wild card, and 2nd place had to face the top team in Pool B, which meant a trip to Spokane.  The Quarterfinal was a home game against 3 Rivers.  The Pac scored early, about 15 seconds in on a header by Sydney Abel off a cross from Abigail Kim, and never looked back.  The final score was 2-1, and the girls had their ticket to Semifinal Saturday. 

Next up was a semifinal against defending champion NW Nationals, an opponent these girls had never defeated.  The Pac got a crucial early goal, scoring on a corner kick at the 8 minute mark.  Brooke Richardson floated in a beautiful cross that Amanda Hemmen was able to volley straight into the back of the net.  The feisty Nationals team was able to tie it up in the second half, and send the match into overtime.  With the heat and the pressure clearly taking its toll on both teams, it was sure to end in disappointment for one team.  Early in the first overtime, Mia Corbin was able to get her head on a cross that sailed past the Goalkeeper, securing a victory against a formidable foe. 

Sunday was Mother’s Day, and there were many Pac players and their moms hoping for their very first state title.  The Spokane Shadow girls were not going to back down, even in the face of the heavily partisan crowd of PacNW supporters at Starfire Stadium.  The first half ended scoreless, and the tension was thick to see who would break through with the first goal.  Coach Todd Stauber no doubt had visions of another State Final going to penalty kicks.  His B94M team lost a very tough match to Eastside with kicks from the mark back in February, and his B98M team lost in kicks as well to WPFC just a week before.  Mia Corbin was the player to beat the keeper, on a cross from Abigail Kim about 60 minutes in.  The cross sailed to the far post, where Mia waited patiently, settled it on her foot, and ripped a shot past the sprawling goalkeeper. 

The girls were able to hold on for the final 20 minutes, and finally collapsed near midfield in a jumble of smiles, tears, and relief of a great run.  Best of luck to this group, as they head off to the Region IV championships, which begin June 17th.