LONGVIEW, WA — In a postseason battle that required 110 minutes of scoreless soccer and nine rounds of penalty kicks, the Lower Columbia College women's soccer team punched its ticket to the NWAC Quarterfinals, outlasting the Walla Walla Community College Warriors 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout Wednesday afternoon at Longview Memorial Stadium.
The victory advances the Red Devils into the NWAC Championship Quarterfinals, moving them just one win away from the NWAC Final Four at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.
A 110-Minute Defensive Stalemate
Entering Wednesday's NWAC Regional Playoff clash, both teams brought stout defensive setups, resulting in a tense, physical contest from the opening whistle.
Walla Walla tested Red Devils goalkeeper
Leeann Williams just over a minute into the match, but Williams turned away Soleil Hoefer's early attempt to set the tone. At the other end, Lower Columbia generated pressure with shots on frame from
Maylee Reynolds and
Annabelle Rogers in the first half, but Warriors keeper Emi Pruneda stood tall to keep things level.
The second half mirrored the first, featuring physical battles in the midfield and tight marking in the defensive third. Walla Walla attackers Brianna Avalos and Reese McKay combined for eight shots on the day, but Williams and the LCC backline—anchored by
Delanie Zueger,
Payton Bullmore, and
Marseille Edwards—snuffed out every threat. Williams finished regular and extra time with eight saves, matched save-for-save by Pruneda's eight stops.
Tensions boiled over early in the first overtime period when Walla Walla forward Payton Anderson received her second booking of the match in the 94th minute, earning a red card and leaving the Warriors down to 10 players for the final 16 minutes. Lower Columbia pressed their advantage with chances from Reynolds,
Addison Hartley, and Edwards, but the Warriors' defense held firm through two 10-minute overtime sessions to send the scoreless tie to a penalty-kick shootout.
Ice in Their Veins: The PK Shootout
With a quarterfinal berth on the line, the Red Devils were clinical from the spot, converting all four of their attempts while Williams and the woodwork shut the door on Walla Walla.
- Round 1: Amy Morales opened the shootout by converting for Walla Walla. Raelie Guizzotti answered for Lower Columbia, burying her attempt to make it 1-1.
- Round 2: Brianna Avalos scored for the Warriors, but Annabelle Rogers calmly responded with a strike past Pruneda to keep the shootout tied 2-2.
- Round 3: The momentum swung decisively to LCC when Soleil Hoefer's attempt for Walla Walla missed the frame. Maylee Reynolds stepped up and found the back of the net, giving the Red Devils a 3-2 edge.
- Round 4: Abbi Gaudreault converted for Walla Walla to temporarily keep the pressure on, but Addison Hartley stepped up and coolly slotted home LCC's fourth consecutive make to preserve a 4-3 advantage.
- Round 5: With no margin for error, Walla Walla's Jayleen DeLaFuente missed her attempt, sealing the 4-2 shootout victory and sparking a celebration on the pitch for the Red Devils.
What It Means for the Red Devils
With the regional playoff victory in the books, Lower Columbia (12-2-6) advances to the
NWAC Quarterfinals. Which means a date with the North Region number one seeded, Peninsula Pirates, in Port Angeles, WA on Saturday, November 7 at 1:00 pm.
A win in the quarterfinal round would send Lower Columbia to the
NWAC Championship Final Four at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington, where the conference semifinalists will battle for the 2026 NWAC crown.
