2A Prep Girls Soccer: R.A. Long sunk in playoff shootout at W.F. West

Mint City — Lumberjills let two leads slip away before falling in PKs

R.A. Long’s Amayah Salas works to get an edge on W.F. West's Rhylee Beebe during a 2A District IV quarterfinal soccer game against the Lumberjills at Bearcat Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2. —Ridley Hudson / The Chronicle

Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com

CHEHALIS — The recent returns in playoff games could hardly have been be more divergent for R.A. Long and W.F. West entering their 2A District IV girls soccer tournament tilt, Saturday. The Lumberjills are coming off a run to the state tournament just last year, while the Bearcats hadn’t notched a District win in 12 years.

Those histories didn’t mean much in the end of a thrilling match, though, when W.F. West won a penalty kick shootout to edge the Lumberjills 3-2 in the opening round of the district tournament.

“We definitely knew it was going to be a battle,” W.F. West coach Kevin Schultz said. “Having played them twice last year and knowing, yes they lost some important players, but they have really good seniors and they’re a really good team and they’re just a program that’s used to winning. So we knew they were going to come in with confidence.”

W.F. West's Ashlen Gruginski boxes out a Lumberjill for the ball during a 2A District 4iV quarterfinal soccer game against R.A. Long at Bearcat Stadum on Saturday, Nov. 2. —Ridley Hudson/ The Chronicle

The contest was played on the unkempt natural grass of Bearcat Stadium, which was a drastic change from the artificial turf on the Lumberjills’ home field at Longview Memorial Stadium.

Not that R.A. Long coach Taylor Wallace was looking for excuses.

“Our passing and receiving was pretty horrendous and I don’t think I can chalk too much of it up to the playing surface,” Wallace said while loading up the bus.