Kentwood picks up the 2-1 victory in a key South Puget Sound League North Division contest

This time around, Kentwood didn’t need double overtime to beat Tahoma in a girls soccer match on Oct.1. The Conquerors put away the Bears 2-1 in their first meeting of the season.

By Kris Hill • October 5, 2011 11:54 am
Kentwood’s Sarah Bindl battles with Tahoma’s Brie Hooks for the ball during the game which the Conks won 2-1 on Oct. 1 at Maxwell Stadium.
Kentwood’s Sarah Bindl battles with Tahoma’s Brie Hooks for the ball during the game which the Conks won 2-1 on Oct. 1 at Maxwell Stadium.

This time around, Kentwood didn’t need double overtime to beat Tahoma in a girls soccer match on Oct.1.

The Conquerors put away the Bears 2-1 in their first meeting of the season.

“The victory is a big one,” Kentwood Head Coach Aaron Radford wrote in an email. “Being the first game against Tahoma since the championship last year, we felt the pressure to perform well.”

Kentwood’s Mykala Benjamin scored both goals for the Conks, notching an unassisted score at the 35 minute mark then the insurance goal at the 59 minute mark.

Benjamin got a ball up the middle, battled past a defender then dribbled into the box and shot with her right foot from about the 18 into the far side of the goal for the Conquerors’ first score.

On the second goal, Benjamin took a ball from Jen Oak that was played through the defense, allowing Benjamin to run on and shoot under Tahoma’s goal keeper as she came out.

Tahoma fought back with a goal at the 67 minute mark when Brie Hooks sent the ball to Mackenzie Henke.

“It was a physical game,” Radford wrote. “Both teams had good chances. The team stepped up and played probably the best game of the season.”

With the victory, Kentwood is in the driver’s seat in the South Puget Sound League North, improving to 8-0-0 with 24 points while Tahoma dropped to 6-1-1 with 19 points.

“The win helps us maintain a lead in the standings,” Radford wrote. “This league is tough and every game is huge, so, to get some separation on Tahoma is big right now. But, we know we need to work even harder this second round of games to keep our position and give ourselves a chance to be the top team in the SPSL.”

Tahoma and Kentwood meet again on Oct. 27 at French Field in the final match of the season.

 

NOTES:

  • Kentlake 3, Thomas Jefferson 2: Kentlake bounced back from a loss to Mount Rainier on Sept. 29 with a 3-2 victory over Jefferson on Oct. 1. Laura Rayfield netted the first goal for the Falcons while Sarah Landram put the ball in the goal for the second score and Callen Shelton took a ball from Landram for the third goal. With the win, Kentlake improved to 4-3-1 with 13 points, and fourth place in the SPSL North. Kentlake takes on Auburn Riverside on Tuesday.
  • Kicks for the Cure set for Saturday: It’s time for rivals to come together to paint French Field pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Kentwood and Kentlake will meet on the pitch at French Field for the Third Annual Kicks for the Cure game. Kentwood’s C team plays Kentridge at 11 a.m., then Kentlake JV squares off against Kentwood’s JV at 1 p.m. with the varsity set to match up at 3 p.m.
  • A year ago the match raised nearly $5,000 for MultiCare’s Mammogram Assistance Program, which provides diagnostic services to women who can’t afford them at clinics in Covington and Auburn as well as the Carol Milgard Breast Center in Tacoma.
  • Kicks for the Cure began in 2009 when Kentwood coach Aaron Radford and his wife, Tara, came up with an idea that summer which would allow the team to give back to the community.
  • Angy Mathena, first year coach at Kentlake, said girls from both teams have done fundraisers over the summer and will sell T-shirts at the game, among other ways to bring in money. “It is a great way for the girls to get involved and give back to their community,” Mathena wrote in an email.