Pullman beats Clarkston to advance to district final in girls soccer

PULLMAN — The Greyhounds’ Milena McCann knew exactly what she needed to do: get in front of Clarkston’s Rebecca Skinner and get a foot on the ball.

What followed was a “thump” as McCann blocked Skinner’s pass and sent the ball spiraling toward a teammate to stop the Bantams’ attack.

The Pullman Greyhounds went on to beat Clarkston 3-0 in a girls soccer district tournament game Tuesday at Pullman High School.

“Our whole defensive line has worked like really hard this season,” McCann said. “So I think it was really good that we didn’t let (Skinner) score at all.”

The Hounds improved to 12-5 overall to advance to the district final versus West Valley at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at West Valley High School.

The Bantams ended their season 10-8 overall.

Greyhounds aggressive in defending Skinner

The Greyhounds knew that their path to victory included properly defending Skinner, Clarkston’s senior sorcerer with over 100 goals to her name.

Skinner, a Washington State commit, will soon be playing soccer full-time in Pullman. The NCAA Division I-caliber player wore a WSU sweatshirt following the game.

Pullman coach Katie Evermann said that her team switched from “man-marking her” to more of a team effort in defending the 100-goal scorer.

“It was (a) double team because she moves all over the field,” Evermann said. “She’s fast. She goes right to left, up and down.”

The other key to defending against Skinner was several highlight-reel-worthy saves from Pullman goalkeeper Lillian Cobos, even in the closing minutes of the game when Pullman led 3-0.

“Our goalie, Lillian’s amazing, our defensive line, our two center backs, Milena McCann and Amelia Cobos, and then, of course, we’ve got Vicky Villarino and Agui Villarino who are freshmen, who helped give us some energy up top and in the midfield,” Evermann said.

Pullman offense shines

The Greyhounds largely dominated the time of possession and set themselves up for key scoring opportunities throughout the match.

The Hounds’ first and third goals came from a pair of freshmen: Vicky Villarino and Agui Villarino.

Amelia Cobos provided the corner-kick goal that gave the Hounds a second-goal cushion.

“We’ve been working on just having our players be present and crash the goal and not just stand and watch the ball,” Evermann said. “And a lot happens when you make movements towards the ball.”

Skinner, Bantams reach season’s end

The Bantams' season was largely defined by Skinner’s stellar campaign. Skinner finished the season with over 120 goals in her high school career.

Clarkston’s opponents circled Skinner’s name all season in their scouting reports. In Tuesday’s match alone, Skinner took just one shot, which bounced off the left sidebar. For the rest of the match, the Hounds’ defense accomplished its goal.

Skinner will join a WSU soccer program with a long history of producing professional players and making the postseason.

While she could not lead her high school team to State for a second straight year, her legacy in Clarkston transcends on-field success and extends to the Lewiston-Clarkston soccer community.

Clarkston coach Mackenzie Murdoch said players on the boys’ youth team that she coaches are fans of the Bantams’ star.

“They all look up to her and to have boys soccer (players) look up to a female soccer player, I mean, that’s already huge,” Murdoch said earlier this season. “What else could you ask for: little boys looking up to a girl. I think it’s awesome.”

Pullman’s path to State

The Greyhounds will play West Valley of Spokane in Thursday’s district championshp match, although both teams will advance to a state crossover game on Nov. 9.

“I think West Valley is going to be a really hard game,” McCann said. “We’re gonna try to do our best. If we don’t win, we still have a chance (to make it to State).”

Evermann said she challenged her team to come out focused in the second half against Clarkston — something her team has struggled with.

On Tuesday, the team focused, defending well and adding two more goals to the scoreboard — something it will also need to do against the Eagles.

“We had a lot of trouble in the beginning,” McCann said. “But we all want the same thing: We all want to win. And so that’s mainly what’s kept us together, is wanting to win.”

Clarkston 0 0 — 0

Pullman 1 2 — 3

Pullman — Vicky Villarino (Sidney Johnson), 8th.

Pullman — Amelia Cobos, 43rd.

Pullman — Agui Villarino (Amelia Cobos), 73rd.

Shots — Clarkston 1; Pullman 7; Saves — Clarkston: Lily Somers 3; Pullman: Lillian Cobos 1.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.