On Thursday Oct. 11, Issaquah soccer C-team girls tied Redmond 1-1 at Gary Moore Stadium. The tie keeps Issaquah fifth in the standings and one-point back of fourth place held by Redmond. Issaquah’s next game is Wednesday Oct. 6 at Mercer Island high school. A win should be in the cards for the Eagles as Mercer Island boasts an unimpressive goal differential of -14.

Issaquah opened the scoring three quarters through the first half when number seven on Issaquah stole the ball in Redmond’s half, dribbled left around two defenders, and confidently struck the ball with her left foot to the bottom right corner of the goal. It was a sublime finish to say the least. Issaquah maintained this one zero lead until halfway through the second half when Redmond came streaking down the right flank. Their striker shot the ball firmly across the ground where it slithered off the left post and into the net. Only minutes before Redmond’s first goal, number 18 on Redmond lead a counterattack in which she blasted the ball out wide to her left for a winger to run onto. The winger shot the ball above Issaquah’s keeper who made an incredible leaping save to preserve their lead.  However, Issaquah’s keeper was not done. Redmond’s striker broke away from Issaquah’s backline for a one-on-one with Issaquah’s keeper. She rushed Redmond’s striker and dove headfirst forcing the ball to the right of the goal. Issaquah was dealt a scare in the closing minutes of the match. A Redmond forward nailed the ball off Issaquah’s crossbar and it fell to the feet of another Redmond player. Fortunately for Issaquah, she botched the finish allowing Issaquah to clear the ball out of bounds.

Issaquah’s coach, Demaree Keiburtz, said at halftime that she wanted to see her team “pass to each other’s feet more and stay awake on defense so they can win the game.” It was clear from the start of the second half that coach Dem’s players responded to her as their passing was much crisper and they played with considerably more defensive intensity. Regarding the team’s play, Sophomore Priya Joshi said, “The team is playing extremely well. We are a very close group and we have confidence in each other. I expect us to carry forward our momentum and finish this game strong.”

The player of the game was Issaquah’s goalkeeper. Time after time, she thwarted dangerous Redmond attacks keeping Issaquah in the game. Overall, it was a back and forth game with tremendous skill shown in both team’s offensive play.