Southridge soccer earns return trip to Final Four

Southridge junior Emily Russell hit her game-winning shot with such poise and precision, it was difficult to believe it was her first goal in over two seasons.

Russell, a playmaking midfielder who provides plenty of assists for Suns forwards, struck one of the most impressive goals of the season for Southridge, driving a ball from 35 yards into the upper left corner of the net in the waning minutes of regulation to give the Suns a 2-1 win over Holy Names in the girls Class 3A state quarterfinals Saturday in Kennewick.

“I saw the ball at the top of the (penalty) box and thought I might as well take a shot,” Russell said. “I’ve been practicing those all season, and they usually go skimming over the top of the net. I just thought, ‘I’m going to try this.’

“I’m glad I did.”

So is Southridge coach Greg Sambrano, who will lead the Suns to their second consecutive Final Four appearance and third in school history.

“Russell has been stepping up for us all year. I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “(Holy Names) was fantastic. To beat a team that good shows heart, grit, determination and hard work. We got a good goal off a set piece and got a big-time play at the end.”

The match went back and forth throughout the full 80 minutes, with both teams getting some solid looks at the net. Each of the goals were well struck and expertly executed.

After a scoreless first half, Southridge took a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute when Emma Schutt headed a Haley Thomas corner kick to the far corner of the net past Holy Names goalkeeper Samantha Miller.

But the Cougars came right back less than a minute later when midfielder Camille Murphy dribbled down the left wing and lofted a perfectly-placed shot over Southridge goalkeeper Tiara Valadez.

“That was like a wake-up call. We were excited, then they put it right back in on us,” Russell said. “I think it was good because that made us pick it up and put another in again.”

Southridge goalkeeper Tiara Valadez wasn’t fazed after giving up a rare goal. In fact, it helped get her into a competitive mode that prepared her for an intense finish that saw Holy Names push extra players into the Suns’ back third in the final minutes.

“I like to have a short memory. Props to (Murphy). That was a phenomenal shot,” said Valadez, who missed out on last year’s Final Four trip with an injury. “I tried to clear my head and play like it was still tied (in the final minute). You don’t want them to come back again.”

Valadez finished with four saves.

The win allowed Southridge to return to the Class 3A semifinals at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, where the Suns finished second at state last year. They will meet Arlington, who beat Sumner 1-0 on Saturday, at 2 p.m. Friday.

Sambrano isn’t surprised one bit that the Suns are back in the semifinals. It might be safe to say he expected it.

“I think everybody would say yes. This team never quits,” Sambrano said. “A lot of people counted us out when McKaley (Goffard, last year’s top scorer) went down. We said we’re going to step up and show you we’re more than just McKaley. We’d love to have her back — she’s a phenomenal player — but we’re proud we were able to overcome adversity.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Southridge soccer earns return trip to Final Four."