REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

Wow! What an exciting week for soccer! Lexi and her East Valley team are going to STATE and Whitworth is going to the NCAA tournament again! Or least they should be - they need to get an at-large bid because they took second in the conference but that's what's happened the last two years.

East Valley started their regional playoffs as the #2 seed from our league. They beat North Central in the first round and then had to face West Valley-Yakima on Wednesday. WV Yakima has long been a thorn in EV's side since Kaylyn was a freshman. They had beaten us two out of two times but third time is a charm, right? We drove to Yakima to face them on their own turf. Ten minutes into the game we scored. We outplayed them the rest of the first half but could not get the ball in the net a second time. After half, they came out with a vengeance. It was all we could do to hold them off. They had several shots that were way too close. Then we started picking it up again, but they weren't going to lay down and die. It was a fight until the very end, with us being victorious, 1-0. It was the LONGEST game of my life! I swear the clock was counting backwards! But boy that win felt good.

So then it was back to Spokane to meet Shadle Park today, who had upset Mt. Spokane on Wednesday. During the regular season, we beat SP in a shootout. (A shootout takes place after a game ends in a tie and two overtime periods fail to produce a goal. It's one on one shooting against the keeper and after 5 shots, whoever has the most shots in, wins.) I absolutely hate shootouts! My nerves cannot take them. So, we met them again today and guess what? It ends up going to a shootout!! AAAAGH!! All I kept thinking was please don't let it come down to Lexi's kick! She would be the #5 shooter. We both made out first shots, we made our 2nd but our keeper stopped theirs. We made our 3rd and they missed. Our 4th went in so it was over. Whew - Lexi didn't have to shoot. This game was for seeding purposes which means we are the #1 seed going into State playoffs and get to host the first round. We could end up meeting SP again in the 2nd round of state. But we are the REGIONAL CHAMPS!!!!! That is a first for EV. Congratulations Knights!

We'll find out on Monday if Whitworth gets in to the tournament. They will play next weekend in Tacoma. We are really glad that Lexi gets to play here on Tuesday instead of having to travel to the coast. The next round would be here also. It's a loser-out tournament from here on out. If EV plays here on Saturday, we'll leave after that game to head to the coast to watch Whitworth. Crazy, I know - and Kaylyn is not even playing but you can't keep us away. Rob and I watched their game yesterday in the pouring down rain! That's dedication! Pirate fans thru and thru!

We also have something special we are getting in Tacoma next weekend. More to come on that later!!!