CRESWELL — The No. 3-seeded Creswell girls soccer team survived a soggy second round Class 1A/2A/3A playoff at Markley Field on Tuesday night, holding off the No. 14-seeded Blanchet Catholic to 1-0 to stay on track for a deep state playoff run.
“I think in the end, we were the better team. It didn’t show on the scoreboard, but it showed on the field,” said co-head coach Colin Hay about the single-point game.
Despite the Cavaliers pressing hard in the first ten minutes and forcing the Bulldogs on their 18-yard line at times, once settled, the Bulldogs took command and fired back offensively with several shots on goals.
“Once our nerves were calm, I felt like we kind of had it under control,” said coach Brandi Wittenborn. “We had way more shots on goals and more opportunities than they did. Also, we shut them down defensively.”
Through yellow cards and physical play, the Bulldogs and Cavaliers fought to a scoreless half time. In the halftime huddle, Wittenborn and Hay emphasized “carrying the ball too much” and needing to make “quicker passes” to sharpen up the Bulldogs.
And senior Elliette Kinney made quick work of this feedback when she took an open opportunity on the Cavaliers’ box and scored the game-winning goal on a low ball that scraped the tight right coner of the net.
The Bulldogs fought the Cavaliers drenched in rain and sweat on Tuesdat night; No. 11 Elliette Kinney scores and celebrates with her teammates. ALL PHOTOS BY CRAIG STROBECK
“It was pretty exciting, because Mila (Nguyen) played the perfect ball,” said Kinney. “And I was thinking to myself, ‘You better make make this inside the post to win!’ It was exciting, especially as a senior. Getting that last shot meant something — and it was fun.”
“We talked about taking the shot once they cut and had that open opportunity, ” Wittenborn said. “Which is what Elliette did — she listened and took a wide open shot, and that’s the piece that was helping us attack better.”
No doubt, Kinney was a key presence on offense, drawing cheers from the crowd with multiple header attempts that narrowly missed the net — a move that’s become her signature.
Even a torrential downpour wasn’t enough to extinguish the Bulldogs’ fire or the spectators’ passion. ALL PHOTOS BY CRAIG STROBECK
Kinney shared that along with being a designated “header” player on the team, she also has a friendly wager behind the scenes with her father and her teammates’ father. Deal is if Kinney makes a header from Nguyen’s ball, both players get $50.
“$50 bucks for each of us,” said Kinney. “Unfortunately, they only implemented it halfway through the season, so all the ones before didn’t count. But I plan on getting at least $50 in the playoffs!”
Senior goalkeeper Kylie Leonard was a holding force defensively, whose key decisions and quick thinking held off the Cavaliers. She tallied 13 saves overall.
Goalkeeper Kylie Leonard was on her toes and made some quick decisions the entire game. ALL PHOTOS BY CRAIG STROBECK
The Bulldogs now head to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2023 as they host the No. 6-seeded Umatilla Vikings this Saturday. They’ll need to hand the Vikings their first loss of the season with their impressive loseless record. However, stalling isnt out of the question for the Bulldogs, as the Vikings have a 12-0-4 record.
