There was plenty of drama at Starfire for the NWAC Final Fours, beginning with midweek rescheduling following the theft of copper that knocked out the lights and scoreboard, resulting in the cancellation of the annual All-Star Games as the men's semifinals were moved from Friday to the Saturday.
On the field, it was a tough weekend for the East as both the Walla Walla women and Columbia Basin men were knocked out in the semifinals. For the Warriors, it was heartbreaking as a literal last-minute equalizer led to a shootout loss to Highline, that provided fireworks in both games en route to capturing the women's title.
On the men's side the semifinals were one-sided affairs, setting up a tight, dramatic affair between Tacoma and Peninsula for the title that was decided from the spot with a stunning finish.
WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR (Starfire)
SEMIFINALS - Friday, November 15
W3 Tacoma 0-2 N1 Peninsula... The Pirates broke a stalemate between the two in the 54th and a second in the 68th added some insurance.
W1 Highline 1-1 (5-4 SO) E1 Walla Walla... The Warriors found themselves under barrage most of the match, but managed to grab the lead in the 67th minute via Brielle Schneider. Josey Gunter made 11 saves as they were outshot 23-4 in regulation, but Highline snatched the victory away in the final moments with an equalizer that ultimately sent the game to a tiebreaker shootout. Highline was perfect from the spot while Walla Walla had one failed conversion.
CHAMPIONSHIP - Sunday, November 17
W1 Highline 1-0 (OT) N1 Peninsula... Highline did it again. This time the match was locked in a scoreless stalemate until they found a winner moments before the final overtime whistle.
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MEN'S FINAL FOUR (Starfire)
SEMIFINALS - Saturday, November 16
S1 Chemeketa 0-4 N1 Peninsula... The Pirates scored twice in the first half and locked things up with a third in the first two minutes of the second half.
W1 Tacoma 3-0 E1 Columbia Basin... The season came to a close for the Hawks. Tacoma broke the initial stalemate in the 43rd minute and a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes locked it up.
CHAMPIONSHIP - Sunday, November 17
W1 Tacoma 1-1 (1-3 SO) N1 Peninsula... The Pirates took the lead at the half-hour mark and held control until Tacoma broke through in the 84th, ultimately sending the match to a tiebreaker shootout. After both sides failed to convert in the first two rounds Peninsula was successful on the next three while Tacoma missed the third and made the fourth before seeing it end on Peninsula's opener in the final round.
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