BAINBRIDGE -- The Port Angeles girls soccer team gave Olympic League champion and No. 5-ranked Bainbridge all it could handle in its District 3 playoff opener, taking the powerhouse Spartans to penalty kicks before losing 2-1 (4-1).
The young Roughriders came within a whisker of handing Bainbridge only its second loss of the season. Despite the loss, Port Angeles is still alive and will play on the road again at 7 p.m. today against Steilacoom, which lost to Kingston 3-0.
Port Angeles goalkeeper Kennedy Rognlien was exceptionally busy as she faced 24 shots and made 23 saves. Bainbridge's lone goal was actually a lucky changeup that ticked off the side of a player's foot and barely crossed the goalline. She had 10 saves in the first half, 12 in the second and one in overtime.
"I am not afraid to say that Kennedy is one of the best high school goalkeepers in the state," said head coach Daniel Horton. "She kept us in that game over and over and over with her saves.
"She's had a lot of good games for us this year, but that was her best game of the year," Horton said.
Horton said the Riders were not intimidated by Bainbridge despite its 15-1 record entering the game.
"They were bummed [after the loss]," Horton said. "They thought and knew they were going to win. They just went toe-to-toe with a top-5 team in the state. We [the coaches] were excited and happy about that."
The Riders and Spartans went into the half tied 0-0. Port Angeles took a lead in the 62nd minute when Teanna Clark got loose on the right wing and attempted to kick a crossing pass, but it went off a Bainbridge defender's hand in the penalty area for a penalty kick. Clark calmly converted the penalty kick to give Port Angeles a 1-0 lead.
"Kedryn DeScala had a great through ball on that play," Horton said.
Eight minutes later, Bainbridge scored on its odd goal to tie it.
"They're a great team, but that was kind of a weird one for them," Horton said. Rognlien was moving to where it appeared a shot was headed, but it appeared the Bainbridge player actually shanked the ball in the opposite direction and luckily for the Spartans, it went in.
The Spartans had an excellent chance when a hard shot from the right side missed the far post by less than a foot. Even on that shot, Rognlien deserves credit for forcing the Bainbridge forward to take the shot from further out than she wanted to, Horton said.
Several other times, Rognlien came way out of the goal and gobbled up the ball just as a Bainbridge forward was getting ready to shoot.
"She's been doing great expanding her range. She's forcing players to shoot early," Horton said.
Horton also said that despite the flurry of Bainbridge shots, the Riders' the defense played well, forcing the Spartans to take long-range shots from 25 to 30 yards out. Horton singled out Becca Manson for her play on defense.
"She was everywhere. That was the best game of her high school career," he said.
How much has this young team grown? Bainbridge is so tough it has only allowed three goals all season -- two of those to Port Angeles, who lost to the Spartans 5-1 and 2-0 in Olympic League play. No other Olympic League team managed to score on the Spartans, which also gave up a goal to a good Klahowya team.
In penalty kicks, Bainbridge converted all four of its kicks, while the Riders missed two. Manson converted her kick.
Steilacoom is another good team with an 11-2-4 record. After that performance, Horton said the Riders (9-8-0) are confident about the Steilacoom game and the rest of the district playoffs.
"If we can play like that, we're as good as any other team in the district," he said.