Black Hills beats Washougal

Girls Soccer: Wolves storm back to win, 3-2, after Washougal freshman Ellie Boon scores pair

AARON WASSER; The Olympian | • Published November 04, 2009

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TUMWATER - Before the Black Hills girls soccer team even had a chance to settle into Tuesday’s winner-to-state game versus Washougal, the Panthers' Ellie Boon made things very uncomfortable for the Wolves.

Boon, a member of the U.S. national U-15 team, scored twice in the first 11 minutes at Tumwater District Stadium.

In the second half, however, it was Black Hills that made things uncomfortable for Boon and Washougal, mounting an impressive 3-2 comeback victory to gain its first state tournament berth since 2003.

“We got down to Team USA. It wasn’t just Washougal, it was Ellie Boon,” Black Hills co-coach Lisa Summers said. “She’s an amazing, talented player, so trying to figure out how to take her out of the game was the key going into it and throughout.”

The Wolves (14-3) didn’t have answers early as Boon, a freshman, scored in the seventh minute from about 25 yards out and then made it 2-0 when she broke free for a one-on-one tally in the 11th minute.

Instead of panicking, Black Hills cut the lead in half when Rebecca Birchett scored on a Bre Hale assist in the 27th minute, then made some halftime adjustments to keep the pressure on the Panthers (8-9).

“It was nerve-wracking, but it really just motivated us to step up,” Black Hills senior Lexy Fancher said of the early deficit. “We came out confident and excited, and when that happened it threw us off a little bit.”

Boon wasn’t quite done. She nearly made it a first-half hat trick when she broke free again, but her shot from a few feet out was wide of the post as Black Hills fans shouted in disbelief.

“She doesn’t miss many of those,” Washougal coach Larry Blaufus said. “But she beat three players and the goalie and missed by just inches. That puts us up 3-1, it might have been a different game.”

After Boon’s miss, it was.

Tareyn Brougham delivered a corner kick to a perfectly positioned Fancher in the 55th minute. The ball found Fancher’s forehead and then the back of the net to tie the match.

“The girl that was on me left me wide open and the cross was beautiful,” Fancher said. “It was an awesome kick from Tareyn.”

Black Hills went up for good just two minutes later when Jamie Applegarth took a pass from Birchett and beat the Washougal goalkeeper in the bottom right-hand corner of the goal.

The two goals were just a couple of several chances a revamped Wolves had in the second half. Black Hills had just three shots on goal through the first 40 minutes, but put six shot on goal through the final 40.

“We just generated so many opportunities late in the game and that was the major difference,” Summers said.

Black Hills will begin the 2A state playoffs next week against an opponent to be determined.