After conceding a goal to the Meadowdale Mavericks in the fifth minute — and struggling to sustain any consistent offensive push of their own — the Mountlake Terrace Hawks looked to be heading toward a tough loss on Thursday to one of their Wesco League South Conference rivals.
But a pair of Terrace seniors used some late-match magic to pull out an improbable victory for the Hawks.
After Ally Villalobos-VanSlooten scored from long range in the 78th minute, Claire August booted the game winner for Terrace in overtime and the Hawks stole a 2-1 victory over the Mavericks in a key league match played at Edmonds Stadium.
August’s sudden overtime victory goal came as the Hawk senior slipped a shot from inside the 18-yard box under a diving Jordan Brannon, the Meadowdale goalkeeper. Brannon, who had not been pressured into making many saves throughout the game, had little chance to stop the OT strike of August.
August credited teammate Sadie Parker for making the game-winning goal possible with a delicate pinpoint pass. “She just played me the perfect ball right to my feet,” August said of Parker’s assist.
The overtime game winner was the second for August in her Hawks’ career; the midfielder scored the OT game winner on Oct. 5, 2023, when Terrace defeated Shorecrest 2-1 at Shoreline Stadium.
“They’re the best,” August said of her two overtime, game-deciding goals.
August’s heroics on Thursday came a few minutes after the Hawks had tied the game at 1-1 late in the second half. Taking a free kick outside the right corner of the Meadowdale 18-yard box, Villalobos-VanSlooten pounded a high looping shot that found the far upper 90 and slipped under the crossbar for a Terrace goal.
Until the final stages of the match, Meadowdale looked to be cruising to a key league victory. The Mavericks had taken a 1-0 lead early on after Hawk goalkeeper Jordyn Stokes let a corner kick sent deep into the box slip through her hands; the ball ended up at the feet of Meadowdale’s Madison Gibson who easily tapped the ball into the goal from three yards out.
Despite the heartbreaking loss on Thursday, Mavs’ first-year head coach David Gibson didn’t think it would be too consequential for this team. “I don’t think it’s going to affect (us) at all,” he said. “We just need to get back on track and play our game.”
Even with the loss to Terrace, Meadowdale (1-1-0 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 3-2-0 overall) is still off to one of their best starts in years. “We’re looking to make a run,” Gibson said. “There’s always hiccups but we’ll get back on track.”
For Mountlake Terrace, the two goals scored on Thursday was double from what the team had produced in their first three games collectively this year. August felt the offensive production and the win over Meadowdale was much needed for the Hawks early in this 2024 season.
“We needed that (to) keep the momentum going.,” August said.
Prep Girls Soccer: Mountlake Terrace at Meadowdale, Sept. 18
Terrace 0 1 1 – 2
Meadowdale 1 0 0 – 1
Goal scorers:
– Madison Gibson (Meadowdale) in the 5th minute
– Ally Villalobos-VanSlooten (Mountlake Terrace) in the 78th minute
– Claire August (Mountlake Terrace) in the 5th minute of sudden victory overtime
Records: Mountlake Terrace 2-1-0 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 2-2-0 overall; Meadowdale 1-1-0 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 3-2-0 overall
Mountlake Terrace next game: versus Lynnwood; Tuesday, Sept. 24; 7 p.m. at Lynnwood High School
Meadowdale next game: versus Shorewood; Tuesday, Sept. 24; 7 p.m. at Shoreline Stadium
— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski
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