The Liberty High School girls soccer team entered their third matchup with Inglemoor with one objective in mind: to reach the state tournament for the second straight season.
It’s the second time Liberty took on the Vikings in just over a week with the Vikings surprising Liberty in the semifinals, defeating the Patriots 2-1 on Oct. 30.
After the loss, Liberty went on to defeat Mercer Island 1-0 in overtime and in the third matchup with Inglemoor, blanked the Vikings 2-0 on Nov. 8.
“They really applied what we have been working on. It’s just a lot of hard work. We kind of corrected some of the issues with communication and I think that helped,” Head Coach Ryan Johnson said. “Overall I was just happy with the team. We really found a way to gut one out on Tuesday (1-0 win over Mercer Island) and regrouped and went to work. I saw a lot of improvement from last game to this game.”
The Patriots stuck early and swiftly inside of three minutes. Morgan Ackermann and Addie Streur have been the big threats on the attacking side of the pitch for the Patriots, but this time Mia Carr got in on the action.
Carr was set up beautifully by Ackermann, who was set up by Streur, and Carr hit her shot into the bottom right corner in the third minute of the contest. “I think we were all so nervous because it was such a huge game. Once we got that first goal we were able to settle in,” Carr said.
Anytime a side scores an early goal, the nerves get pushed aside. But in a game that held the gravity like the game on Saturday afternoon, the Patriots really were able to relieve that pressure. “I think it helped give them confidence. We’ve been struggling a little bit of late with that. I think the confidence was there. We had a lot more opportunities, I’d like to see us put more of them in. But I think they are getting better at not getting too consumed with the match,” Johnson said.
Carr’s goal boosted the confidence of a Liberty side that could have succumbed to the pressure and expectations that a winner-to-state and loser-out game possesses. But the Patriots kept their foot on the gas, which resulted in a second goal late in the first half.
Addie Streur runs with the ball for the Liberty Patriots. Ben Ray / The Reporter
Mylene Aguila found some space down the right hand side of the 18-yard box. Aguila sent a cross into the box and the ball deflected off of an Inglemoor defender that trickled into the back of the net. A definite own goal, but a goal that was created by relentless push from Liberty from top to bottom. “I think us working together has been amazing. We have been improving and developing all season. It’s been amazing,” Carr said.
Defensively, Liberty stalled the Inglemoor attack that caused them problems a week prior. Liberty had Gabrielle Hemmen back from injury, which bolstered the backline — a backline that muted the Inglemoor attack and kept the ball on the Viking side of the pitch for the majority of the game. “You can’t concede goals at this time of year. Everything gets a little harder. Giving away easy ones is hard to overcome,” Johnson said.
Back-to-back shutouts in the postseason is no easy accomplishment, especially when just two teams from 3A KingCo make the state tournament. But this year’s Liberty side is starting to turn the corner and is playing their best soccer at the right time.
The Patriots are paired up with White River in the opening round of the state tournament. No. 9 Liberty takes on No. 8 White River on the road at Roy Anderson Field. The last time these two teams linked up was back on Nov. 6, 2018, when Liberty won the match 4-1 in the first round state tournament en route to the school’s second title.
