When the Kent-Meridian High School girls soccer team defeated Spanaway Lake 3-0 last month, it was the Royals first win since 2002.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Sept. 12 victory was a moment of pride and relief for the team and coaching staff alike, said fourth-year coach Chris Wells. Assistant coach Ferin Barry played for the Royals in 2004-08 and Wells went to Kent-Meridian from 2004-07.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very important for them, and definitely very emotional,\u201d Wells said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wells said having an experienced team this year helped end the winning drought.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the big issues is we haven\u2019t been able to keep a team together for long enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s team consists of eight seniors who have played together for the past four years and nine juniors.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wells said going into the nonleague game against Spanaway Lake, the Royals knew they had a chance to come out on top. Spanaway Lake hasn\u2019t won a game yet this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a letdown,\u201d Wells said. \u201cFrom the beginning, we were in it. It went better as we gained more confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wells said that confidence extended beyond last month\u2019s win.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just kind of have an edge now to them,\u201d he said of his players. \u201cThey didn\u2019t fully understand what winning was like and didn\u2019t always have that competitive drive. They want to win and they want to do well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wells said the team hopes to win a league match before the season is done. As of Wednesday, the Royals were 0-6 in South Puget Sound League 4A play.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have played a lot of the top teams in the region, which is always tough for us,\u201d Wells said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He said unlike many of the teams in the league, most of Kent-Meridian\u2019s players don\u2019t play club soccer in the off season and haven\u2019t grown up playing soccer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just try to compete and try to keep it close,\u201d Wells said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Royals last won a league match in 2002 when they finished 2-13-1 in SPSL play.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The team ended a nine-year loosing streak with a tie in 2012.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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