Spartans repeat as state champs

Nov. 27--The final three minutes of Saturday's Class 2A state championship game seemed like an eternity for Sumner goalie Jamie Lange.

The Spartans led 2-0, and the clock seemed to be moving in slow motion.

"When you look at the clock and see there is two minutes left, it is just the two longest minutes of your life," Lange said. "You just keep waiting and waiting, and then we learned there was an extra minute. It just drives you crazy."

Eventually, the clock did run out, and Sumner (18-2-1) jubilantly celebrated its second consecutive state title with its 2-0 win against the Bellingham Red Raiders at Shoreline Stadium.

Sumner forward Ellie Degoede crossed the ball from the right side to the middle, and Kinsey Saiz uncorked a shot from about 15 yards away into the back of the net in the 25th minute.

The Spartans added an insurance goal when freshman Jordan Thompson scored in the 48th minute. Thompson received a pass on a give-and-go from midfielder Brooke Lancaster to put the game out of reach.

"It meant a lot," Thompson said. "It meant we were one more goal up and gave us more momentum. It was good to seal the deal with that last one."

Sumner head coach Robi Turley said she was proud of her team.

"We had a lot of people doubt us," Turley said. "We obviously had a lot of pressure to get back here after last year. We didn't have any superstars and have played as a team the entire time. We have relied on every single person. We have done just enough every single time to get the job done."

Lange agreed.

"It is the best feeling in the world, knowing that we proved so many people wrong," she said.

Bellingham had five corner-kick opportunities in the first half, but Sumner's defense didn't surrender a goal.

"In the first half, we weren't winning the 50-50 balls," Turley said. "We knew that they (Bellingham) were physical, and we don't have any opponents that we face that are as physical as they are. The key was to match their physicality, and we were able to do that in the second half."

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