4A girls soccer: Eastlake gets first state title

LAKEWOOD — The momentum kept building all season for both teams.

But something had to give for a pair of underappreciated and underdog high-school girls soccer teams from Eastlake and Cascade of Everett.

One team would go home with their school's first state championship in the sport. The other would leave the field disappointed tainting an otherwise remarkable and improbable state-playoff run.

Junior defender Jessica Martinez scored her team's only two goals in two Final Four matches, and that did the trick for Eastlake.

Martinez allowed Eastlake to experience the euphoria of capturing the school's first state title in any sport by leading a 1-0 triumph over Cascade of Everett in the Class 4A championship match late Saturday night at Harry Lang Stadium.

With a load of perseverance and essentially one fortuitous bounce, the Wolves (17-2-1) made history for the 9-year-old school.

Martinez, who had Eastlake's only tally in Friday's 1-0 semifinal victory over Richland, thumped home a header goal amongst a crowd off a crossing pass from senior defender Meghan Blume in the 21st minute.

A season's worth of hard work was rewarded with one bold move in front of a crowded Bruins' goal mouth.

"That girl never stops working," Eastlake Coach Debbie Goodeve said of Martinez. "She never gives up and that lights a fire under your team. She's just a junior, so that says a lot about our program."

Martinez and the rest of the Wolves' defense made the goal stand up, giving the program its first title just one season after losing seven talented seniors.

"Our defense played the best two games we've played all year," Eastlake goalkeeper Kaitlyn Wurz said after recording her 10th shutout of the season and third in four state-playoff games. "This is exactly how you want it to end."

It was a championship neither team deserved to lose, but Cascade (17-5-0) was unable to find the net despite tremendous effort. The Bruins, making the school's fifth appearance in the Final Four, were rebuffed in their bid for a first title in girls soccer.

"As hard as we worked tonight, it's hard to walk away from it," Cascade Coach Jamie Gay said afterward.