Girls soccer season comes to an end after loss to Meridian

Just two nights after the Borderites advanced to the district semifinals with their win against Mount Baker — a game that went to a penalty shootout — they came up short against Meridian on Nov. 4.

The No. 1 seed Meridian beat the No. 4 seed Blaine by a score of 3-1, bringing an end to the Borderites’ season. They finished with an overall record of 5-10-2.

With the win, Meridian advanced to the district championship against Lynden Christian on Saturday. Lynden Christian went on to win 2-0, securing the district championship and clinching a spot in the Class 1A state tournament.

For most of the first half, Blaine and Meridian were locked in a scoreless tie, but with just five minutes left in the half Trojan sophomore Luz Lane scored a goal, and less than three minutes later, she scored another to put Meridian ahead 2-0.

Then in the second half, Lane scored again to complete a hat trick and put Meridian up by three goals.

The Borderites eventually got on the board late in the second half when senior Kate Koreski scored a deep penalty kick — about 25 yards from the goal — but Blaine’s comeback effort fell short.

Prior to the game, Blaine’s head coach Gio Quesada said the game would be decided by which team could handle its emotions better. 

So much of soccer is the emotional and mental aspect of the sport, which is amplified in the playoffs, Quesada said.

Going down 2-0 just before the half was a big turning point, as that’s the worst score in soccer, he said – a 1-0 deficit is manageable, but a 2-0 deficit sends teams into a panic. 

When the Borderites trailed 3-0, they didn’t give in or hang their heads, he said.

Having coached some of the girls for their entire high school careers, Quesada said was proud to see how they’ve grown as competitors.

At least two of Blaine’s seniors will go on to play soccer in college, he said. His ultimate goal is to send as many players as he can to the next level.

“It makes the program proud,” Quesada said.

Despite the loss and the season’s end, Quesada said he was proud of his team. They played hard until the final whistle, which is all he can ask of his athletes. 

“That’s a win. That’s a trophy,” he said. “They really fought to the end… Tough loss. But that’s soccer.”