Jackson mounts stunning rally

PUYALLUP — Jackson saved its best — and its offense — for last.

The Timberwolves scored three goals in a span of five minutes, starting in the 73rd minute, to complete an improbable comeback and a 3-2 victory over Skyline in the Class 4A state girls soccer semifinals Friday night at Sparks Stadium.

Jackson faces Central Valley at 4 p.m. Saturday in the championship game.

“That’s definitely the most exciting soccer game I think I’ve ever been a part of,” Jackson head coach Jesslyn Kellerman said. “I hope nobody had a heart attack. My grandma’s here, I hope she didn’t have a heart attack. It’s just so fun. I think it just instills so much confidence in our girls because not only is Skyline an amazing team to beat, but to come back from a 2-0 deficit like that — my girls should have all the confidence in the world going into tomorrow’s game.”

Trailing 2-0, Jackson (16-4-1) finally got on the board in the 73rd minute when Nicole Castro’s shot bounced off the crossbar and right to freshman Jadyn Edwards, who fired the rebound into the back of the net.

“We had just made a little change to get a little bit more offensive and I knew if we could get one, we were going to get more than one,” Kellerman said. “It was just getting that first one.”

Exactly one minute later, the Timberwolves proved Kellerman right when Kristina Serres rocketed in a shot from 25 yards out to tie the game.

“When you play most of the game down 2-0, you’re really excited to be tied,” Kellerman said. “That’s awesome. Thinking about going into overtime is exciting at that point and time. But then I was also asking my (assistant coach) if we should make any changes and he said, ‘No. We’re doing awesome.’ So I didn’t make any changes at that point and time, kept going forward and then realized that we were dominating (and) they were on their heels.”

Not content with a tie, Jackson lined up for a free kick in the 78th minute. Rikki Myers sent it into the box and Timberwolves senior Lynnae George finalized the comeback with a tap in.

“I’m shaking right now because I can’t believe that we made it,” George said. “It was very, very intense. I’m just so proud of my teammates and how we came together as a unit and conquered that.”

Skyline (14-3-2) dominated the first half, with the Spartans building a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by Amanda Johnston and Kelli Sullivan. The Spartans, who have won four of the past six state championships, defeated Jackson 4-0 in the Timberwolves’ season opener Sept. 9.

Friday night, Jackson got more than a little revenge.

“We knew we had to crash the goal. We just needed to get to the goal as fast as we could so we could just create chaos, basically,” George said.

After George’s goal gave Jackson its first lead of the game, the Timberwolves eagerly awaited the referee’s final whistle.

“That last two minutes went by really slow,” Kellerman said. “At that point and time — scoring that many (goals) that fast — you’re going from throwing as many numbers forward as you can to, ‘Oh shoot! Now we have to play defense! Let’s get people back on defense!’ But the girls just responded really well.

“…It was definitely a team effort. Three different people scored, right? Three different people score — I think that says a lot about our team. We just got together. We won it as a team.”

Jackson is in the state championship for the first time in school history. The Timberwolves have finished third once and fourth twice.

“I think the jitters are out, the confidence is high,” Kellerman said. “Hopefully we don’t have a monsoon going (Saturday) and then we just start it from the beginning instead of waiting for the end.”

Added George: “We’re not satisfied with fourth or third or second. We want first.”

At Carl Sparks Stadium, Puyallup

Goals—Amanda Johnston (S), Kelli Sullivan (S), Jadyn Edwards (J), Kristina Serres (J), Lynnae George (J). Assists—Lindsey Fujiwara (S), Nicole Castro (J), Rikki Myers (J). Goalkeepers—Katie Gibian (S). Callie Vanaelst (J). Records–Skyline 14-3-2. Jackson 16-4-1.