PORT ANGELES — All the pieces fell into place as the Port Angeles girls soccer team had its most dominant performance of the season, winning its District 3 tournament opener 9-0 over Washington.
Washington came into the match with a 6-10 record and was the No. 12 seed in the tournament, but it was still the Roughriders’ most impressive game of the season. Washington had just two weak shots on goal all game and the match was called after 60 minutes because of the point differential, rare in high school soccer. The team’s previous high for goals this season was seven.
With the victory, Port Angeles, a No. 5 seed, moves into the double-elimination phase of the tournament and will play North Kitsap, the No. 4 seed, in Poulsbo at 6 p.m. Tuesday. That game should be on the NFHS Network. The Riders split two league games against the Vikings this year, losing 1-0 and then coming back to win 2-0.
It was the sixth victory in a row for the 14-3 Roughriders.
Win or lose, the Riders will play again Thursday in Kitsap County, possibly against their Olympic Peninsula rival Sequim for a third time this season.
It appeared that the game was going to be played in horrendous conditions as a heavy rainstorm pounded the area into the late morning Saturday. However, shortly before the beginning of the game at 1 p.m., the storm broke up and the contest was played in dazzling sun, light wind and near-perfect conditions.
The Riders got off to a hot start with six goals in the first half. Coach Daniel Horton said Port Angeles has struggled a little bit this season with slow starts, having to rely on big second halves to win games. He said the team wanted to break that pattern Saturday.
“Sometimes it takes us a while to get into our game,” Horton said. “If you let a team hang around too long, they start getting more confident.”
“We worked on moving the ball and playing as a team,” said Pyper Alton. Winning by such a big margin, “definitely boosts our team in the next game.”
“This really feels good. We showed we deserve to be one of the higher seeds,” said Mariah Traband.
Lilly Anne Lancaster got the Riders off to a fantastic start by scoring a hat trick of goals in just five minutes. She scored her first in the fifth minute off a beautiful cross from Traband, who earned an assist. Lancaster got her second just a minute later and the third off a corner kick by Alton.
Horton said Lancaster has been red-hot lately for the Riders with eight goals in her past four games.
“She’s been in and out of the starting lineup and today I put her back in the starting lineup,” Horton said.
Alton finished the game with three assists, all off corner kicks, to give her 11 for the season. Horton said in watching film of Washington, he knew if Alton hit her corner kicks, well, the Riders could take advantage.
“I told her if you hit the ball right, you’re going to walk away with a lot of assists today,” he said. “She has put so much work into that delivery.”
Traband added a goal in the 12th minute and Becca Manson a goal in the 19th off an Alton corner as the rout was on. Morgan Politika and Emma Desjardins also scored goals. Stella Fradkin had perhaps the most impressive goal of the match in the 55th minute, using her strength to blow the ball right through a Washington defender, opening herself up for a wide-open shot.
Sequim, a No. 9 seed, also won its tournament opener, beating No. 8 seed Franklin Pierce on the road 3-2. The Wolves next play No. 1 seed Bainbridge at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Bainbridge. Win or lose, the Wolves play again on Thursday, against either Port Angeles or North Kitsap.
