With a little luck and forward Mykala Benjamin in the right place at the right time, Kentwood beat Tahoma for the second time this season on the soccer pitch, ensuring sole possession of first place in the South Puget Sound League North.
Kentwood won 1-0 and improved to 14-1-1 on the season and the North girls soccer crown.
Benjamin, a senior, was near the goal when Riley Retz headed a free kick from Madison Fuller that dropped right in front of her feet.
“I saw one of my players going through so I just hung back,” Benjamin said. “The (Tahoma) goalie hit it and the ball came to me so I just hit it.”
And the ball popped off Benjamin’s foot, past the keeper and into the right side of the net at the 14:51 mark of the first half.
That ended up being all the Conquerors needed in a tight, hard fought battle in which the Bears threatened repeatedly but were never able to connect with one of their many shots on goal.
Early in the season, despite getting off to a quick start, Kentwood captains didn’t feel like the team wasn’t putting together on the field but Benjamin said the Conks have found a rhythm.
“We’re connecting really well right now,” she said. “If we play a ball we know how hard to hit it. If someone is in trouble we know where to drop it in.”
And beating Tahoma twice during the regular season is special, too, since it took a shootout for Kentwood to win the 4A girls state soccer title a year ago after finishing third behind Tahoma and Kentlake in the SPSL North.
“It means a lot,” Benjamin said. “We’ve never beaten them twice in one season. It feels really good to beat them twice.”
Meanwhile, Tahoma will end up either second or third, depending on what happens between Auburn and Kentridge this afternoon. If the Chargers win, then they’ll be second and the Bears will be third heading into the playoffs next week.
Kentwood will face Beamer, the top seed out of the SPSL South, at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup for seeding into the West Central District playoffs.
Benjamin said Kentwood needs to try stay connected as a team.
“We need to just keep doing what we’re doing,” she said. “If we do that, we’ll get far.”
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