Cheney soccer off to post season with momentum

The Cheney High girls soccer team hopes to ride a bit of momentum into this week's District 7 playoff action. The Lady Blackhawks have won two of their last three, with the loss coming in double overtime against Great Northern League-leading East Valley.

Cheney captured the season series with West Valley, two games to one, with a 4-2 win last Tuesday at home. The Lady Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead midway through the first half with goals by Makenna Benson and Kaitlin Teeters, with Emma Scott assisting on both.

But one minute after Teeter's score in the 21st minute, Frankie Schade put the Eagles on the board, and assisted Chelsea Koker with the equalizer soon after.

After assists in the first half, it was Scott's turn at net in the second. The sophomore provided the eventual game-winner in the 78th minute, assisted by Lelie Holland, and scored an unassisted goal a minute later to provide insurance.

Saturday, the visiting Lady Blackhawks gave the Knights all they could handle. Benson put Cheney up 1-0 with a goal seven minutes in, which was equalized in the 17th minute by Kaitlyn Harvey's score.

Head coach Nels Radtke said defensive lapses led to East Valley's 3-1 lead early in the second half, coming on goals by Autumn Stewart and Chelsea Ross. But Cheney rallied, with Benson scoring in the 66th minute and Kailey Estrellado netting the equalizer in the 73rd.

Neither team scored in the first overtime, and the game appeared headed to a shootout when late in the second, a hard foul on a Cheney defender failed to gain the referee's whistle. Radtke said East Valley capitalized on Cheney's protests by transitioning into a breakaway that ended in Harvey's second goal and the 4-3 game-winner.

The Lady Blackhawks wrapped up the season Monday with a 2-1 shootout win over Pullman on Senior Day. After a scoreless first half, Cheney scored in the 47th minute when Carla Thorson passed left to the middle of the field where a sprinting Scott sent home a goal from around the 18-yard box.

Pullman's Mackenzie Oldroyd knotted the score at 1 with a goal in the 62nd minute, and after finishing the game and two overtime periods scoreless, the game went to a shootout. In the shootout, Cheney got goals from Teeters, Mackenzie Huotari and Holland, plus two blocks by goalkeeper Melissa Aris, to out score Pullman 3-2 and notch a 2-1 win.

Overall, Cheney out shot its three opponents by a combined 30-18, with Aris making 11 saves.

"We sent the seniors out with a win, which we haven't done in a while, which is good," Radtke said. He added while the Lady Blackhawks possessed and moved the ball well against West Valley, they didn't play with a lot of energy.

Part of that might have been the lack of practice in between the East Valley and Pullman games, the unusual Monday start or that Cheney already sealed a No. 3 seed into the playoffs.

Cheney finishes the regular season at 8-7 overall, 6-6 in GNL play, and faces No. 4 West Valley (5-9, 5-7) today (Thursday) at home in first round play. The Lady Blackhawks have lost one game at home - to East Valley - but Radtke said West Valley always gets inspired when playing Cheney - and ended the Lady Blackhawks playoff run last year.

"They're a team that can be dangerous," he said. "But if we play our game, there's no doubt in my mind that we can beat any team.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.