After punching their ticket to the state quarterfinals, the Pumas girls soccer team lost 1-0 to the undefeated Seton Catholic Cougars following a three-hour trip down to Vancouver on Nov. 15.
“We knew it was going to be the hardest game of the year for us,” sophomore goalkeeper Julia Cutting said.
This was the third year in a row that UPrep lost in the quarterfinals.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” ninth-grade forward Scout Lincoln said. “We definitely felt like we were the better team.”
Seton Catholic scored a free kick in the first half, and the Pumas couldn’t find an answer, sealing the loss.
“Free kicks are always disappointing,” UPrep Girls Varsity Soccer coach Nikki Harris said. “Defensively, if you just switch off for a second, it can cost you a goal.”
Lincoln missed a late opportunity wide of the net, and UPrep hit the crossbar twice, once off a free kick by junior midfielder Evie Pagulayan, and once in the final seconds by junior defender Isla Maron.
“I would take both of those crossbar hits back,” Harris said. “We kept battling all the way until the whistle went.”
Seton Catholic went on to receive second place in the tournament.
Before the loss, UPrep took down Klahowya 3-0 in the opening round at Kings’ High School on Nov. 12.
“I concussed myself in our game against them earlier this year, so I knew it was going to be a mental game for me,” junior forward Grey Donsbach said.
UPrep won their first game against Klahowya 2-0. Donsbach, one of the team’s top scorers, missed the next three weeks with the injury.
“Klahowya’s players are very big, which is something we don’t see often, so we knew we would have to contain that,” Donsbach said. “I was looking forward to going out there and showing them I’m back.”
The contest included two goals from Lincoln, the latter assisted by Donsbach.
“Looking up and seeing the way she controls the ball is crazy,” Cutting said. “Scout can get around so many players. It’s almost college level.”
Lincoln earned second-team all-conference honors and netted the opening goal from outside the box in the opening round.
“When that first one went in, I was so happy because I had really been working on my technique,” Lincoln said.
Donsbach knocked in the third, sealing the win for the Pumas.
“The class of 2027 has some really talented players, and it’s our junior year, so the pressure is on for us,” Donsbach said.
Cutting logged her seventh shutout of the year, recording ten saves against Klahowya.
“Most of the goals scored on me this year have been over my head,” Cutting said. “I was able to do a great job of negating that.”
Donsbach earned first-team all-conference honors for the Pumas this year.
“It feels great. It’s been something I’ve been working toward,” Donsbach said.
UPrep earned fourth place in the league with a 10-5-1 record this year, including going 6-3 in league play.
Despite the loss to Seton Catholic to end the season, Harris looks forward to next year with optimism.
“We have a big junior class that are going to be seniors,” Harris said. “They have a lot of passion and drive, and create a lot of chemistry on the field.”
