TENINO — Something about the Battle on the Blacktop brings out the best in Gracie Sweet.
Two years ago as a wide-eyed sophomore, she came on in the title match as a substitute, posted a second half shutout and secured the victory for the Tenino High School girls soccer team with a PK shootout save.
Fast forward to Sunday night and Sweet was in the thick of another thriller versus W.F. West. Except this time, she was the one hurt and battled through an ailment suffered in a pool play game on Saturday.
“I knew this mattered enough to me that I wouldn’t feel it when it came down to it,” Sweet said. “I had to go in there and take it.”
The Beavers senior-to-be wasn’t going to be denied a chance to be the last line of defense once again.
Sweet and the backline halted several chances by W.F. West and then in the penalty shootout, made four of five to secure a Tenino 1-0 (4-2 PKs) triumph on Sunday night in the Battle on the Blacktop championship game.
“I knew I was the one that had to be in there to do it,” Sweet said. “Being a goalkeeper is not easy, it takes so much mental work out of you. The growth in my mental (strength) and having a team that helps you and to support you, makes the love for it so much easier to have.”
In eight years the tournament has gone on, Tenino and W.F. West now each have four victories. Sunday also marked the fourth time the two sides met in the final game of the three-day tournament.
The Beavers are now 3-1 versus the Bearcats in those matches.
“We had them scouted so well and we had an excellent gameplan,” Tenino head coach Trevor Fetbrandt said. “We didn’t have a deep bench, we didn't all weekend, and it shows the grit these girls have. We showed once again what we’re capable of.”
Initially, the plan Fetbrandt established pregame was to have another player be in net for a potential shootout. Sweet started doing dives behind the team huddle, but in Fetbrandt’s eyesight.
He kept tapping his pencil, clearly torn.
Go with his all-league and all-area keeper? Or maintain the plan from earlier?
“I’ll bet on Gracie every day of the week,” Fetbrandt stated. “If she believes in herself, I’m going to believe in her. She has earned that.”
Sweet had one save and saw another PK go wide left. Once Tenino buried the winning penalty shot, Sweet was mobbed by Fetbrandt first then the rest of the Beavers followed suit. She lifted the trophy afterwards.
The Beavers also had the Tournament MVP in Callie Mickelson.
“We stuck through it and it was so beautiful,” Sweet said.
It was a very back-and-forth 60-minute match and both sides had several quality chances in both halves.
W.F. West’s attacking trio of Izzy Teeter, Mabriel Burger and Greta Oien didn’t get much room to operate, but all three put shots on that threatened the Beavers. Still, the final-third routinely was down Burger’s side of the field and a cross into the box.
A week after beating East Valley Yakima and losing to a pair of 4A schools in a tournament last weekend, the Bearcats didn’t allow a goal in pool play and in regulation versus Tenino.
Kenley Fragner, one of the starters back from last fall, played in the title match as did a backup keeper. For the most part, it was a new-looking crew in the back line.
“Our defense was solid all weekend,” Bearcats head coach Kevin Schultz said. “To see new players come into those roles and shut out all of our opponents was awesome. Really happy with their play.”
Teeter was ruled offside on a run in the second half and Tenino’s Kyla Watson had a free kick attempt that sailed just over the bar. Burger won the golden boot with seven goals and Teeter was given the playmaker award with six assists and four goals for the weekend.
Black Hills’ Sienna Perry was named as the Defensive MVP of the tourney.
The official first day of practice for the prep season is under a month away and for W.F. West, its captains have already begun planning what the next four weeks look like before the season opener on September 3 versus Capital.
“They are going to take it seriously,” Schultz said.
Several girls on the Beavers bench have dealt with pain and Fetbrandt feels August is coming at a “perfect time” for his group. A year after making the Class 1A state tournament and a summer that featured two tournaments of competitive soccer, Sweet is hopeful the momentum can be carried into the season opener against Ocosta on September 3.
“This shows we can take on whoever, to prove that Tenino is here to cause problems,” she said.
