Cruisers Show Growth Despite 2-0 Setback at Tenino

The Eatonville Cruisers showed progress Tuesday night but couldn’t convert on their scoring opportunities, falling 2-0 to the Tenino Beavers in a non-league girls’ soccer matchup.

Eatonville (0-2) generated several promising chances in the opening half and put seven shots on target overall. Despite the offensive pressure, Tenino broke through on a corner kick in the first half to grab a 1-0 lead. The Beavers later sealed the result with a late header in the second half to make it 2-0.

“We played a much better match and had multiple chances especially in the first half,” Eatonville head coach Michael Dieckman said.

Eatonville's goalkeeper Savannah McCandless corrals a shot on goal in a match from earlier in the season. McCandless's goal play kept the match close for the Cruisers in their 2-0 loss to Tenino. Photo: Heather Quirie

Goalkeeper Savannah McCandless anchored the defense with 11 saves to keep the Cruisers within reach. On the back line, Toryn Amaral made her presence felt by stepping up from her center back role to bypass the midfield and connect with the forwards.

In the middle of the pitch, Katelyn Lindquist helped stabilize play and was effective in delivering the ball wide to Eatonville’s attackers.

“Our effort was there,” Dieckman said. “We just couldn’t quite finish when we needed to.”

The Cruisers’ scheduled matchup with Foss on Sept. 11 has been pushed back to Sept. 22, giving them a weeklong break before they return to action on Sept. 16 when they open up 2A SPSL League play when they host the Fife Trojans at 3 pm before finishing out the week on the road against Washington HS at Franklin Pierce Stadium on Sept. 19 at 7 pm.