Inglemoor defeats Glacier Peak to take district championship

Paris Moore followed the bouncing ball and knocked it into the back of the net.

The Inglemoor High junior midfielder’s goal — an arching shot over the goalkeeper from about 35 yards out in the 35th minute — would prove to be the game-winning netter in a 1-0 triumph over Glacier Peak on Nov. 7. Playing on the road, the Vikings grabbed hold of the 4A Wes-King district championship on the Grizzlies’ pitch in Snohomish.

Next up, Inglemoor (12-1-3 overall at press time) will host a first-round state-tournament match between the dates of Nov. 11-13.

Moore, who also tallied for the Vikings in their 1-0 victory over Lake Stevens in the district tourney on Nov. 5, described her goal against Glacier Peak: “I knew we hadn’t really tested the keeper that much, so I figured if we got a shot on goal, like maybe we could see what she was worth. So, I decided to shoot it and, ‘Hey.’”

A laughing junior forward Ashly Berge added: “Paris has been coming in clutch a lot recently. These last two games against Lake Stevens and now this game, 1-0, so I wasn’t surprised that she put it away when she had to.” Berge — the 4A KingCo offensive most valuable player — assisted on Moore’s goal against Lake Stevens.

Glacier Peak controlled the flow of play early on and ripped one shot off the crossbar and had another tipped over the bar by senior goalkeeper Teonni Gonzales. Viking junior keeper Eden Iyall registered a clean sheet in the second half.

Freshman defender Riley McQuade was part of the back-line crew that staved off Glacier Peak’s attack time and time again.

“At the end of the game, they were just coming at us, but we just stuck together, held our line and just worked together as a team and got the victory,” McQuade said. “Everyone has each other’s backs, everyone’s communicating and everyone’s cheering each other on.”

McQuade praised Inglemoor’s senior captains and center backs Rachel Conchi and Maya Oleynikova for leading the way in battening down the hatches. Also shining on defense were juniors Julianna Barker and Joie Christensen and sophomore Olivia Levy.

Inglemoor possesses a solid work ethic, McQuade said, and Moore added that the Vikings have challenged themselves throughout the season to rack up the impressive amount of victories.

“I think that we all play as a team. We just connect well and we don’t get mad at each other when we’re down. We just keep our heads up and just do what we have to do on the field,” Berge said.

• Inglemoor notched its first-ever 4A KingCo title this season with an 8-0-1 record.

In all-league listings for Inglemoor, Viking head coach Kent Nelke was named coach of the year, first-teamers are Julia Monson, Barker, Conchi and Moore, second-teamers are Oleynikova and Katelyn Laccinole and honorable mentions are Tara Barlowe, Christensen, Gonzales and Iyall.

Other Northshore all-leaguers are North Creek’s Kaylin Gaiser (first team), Bothell’s Bella Gutierrez (second team) and honorable mentions Hannah Cecil, Ava Hudson, Devon Lipkin and Ella Stroup (Bothell) and Maddy Chriest, Melia Cordero, Sierra Hein and Sarah Kovich (North Creek).