The defending state champions were defeated 1-0 by Skyline High School at Sparks Stadium on Friday night in Puyallup. This marks the end of a season in which the district-champion Eagles were undefeated in league play and only had one overall loss going into the state tournament.

Reflecting on the season overall, the team seemed happy with their fourth-place finish in state. Junior Claire Tylutki said that considering “last year 15 seniors left and we got a new coach,” it was a fairly successful year. Senior Katie Sanders believes that it was a successful year because, despite the tough loss, “we got a lot farther than we expected and won districts.”

The Eagles had plenty of chances throughout the game, but could not find the net. In the eighth minute, senior Chloe Huling hit the crossbar with a left-footed shot that left the keeper standing still. Late in the first half, junior Riley Larsen also hit the crossbar with a header from a corner.

In the 24th minute, freshman Taylor Beckmeyer broke through the middle of the defense and calmly placed a shot into the bottom left corner to give Skyline the lead. The Spartans did not have many chances throughout the match, but made Issaquah pay for not converting their chances.

This game was the last for 12 great Issaquah seniors, including seven first and second team King-Co players. After four long seasons, tradition seems to be the biggest aspect of Issaquah soccer that the seniors will miss. “Karaoke before games, the circle of friendship [and] the Issaquah beat walking out before games” are just some of the traditions that make Issaquah so great, according to Sanders.

Looking forward to next season, Tylutki has trust that head coach Kyle Tatro will get the team back into the state tournament, looking for another shot at a state title. His first season in charge marks the beginning of the “Tatro legacy,” said the junior.