GRANDVIEW — The Tuesday, Oct. 21 regular-season finale tightened the Central Washington Athletic Conference standings and leaves Ephrata in fourth place heading into district soccer play this weekend.

After defeating Grandview 5-2 in their earlier home meeting, the Tigers went on the road and battled the Lady Greyhounds through a scoreless regulation and two overtime periods before claiming a dramatic 1-0 victory in penalty kicks.

After recording three saves during regulation play, Ephrata goalkeeper Aiyana Valle came up clutch again, turning aside all three Grandview attempts in the shootout while teammates Paige Murray, Megan Truscott, and Brooklynne Addink each converted their penalty boots to seal the win, 3-0 in PKs.

Ephrata controlled possession most of the game, outshooting the Greyhounds 19-3 but failing to find the net. Skarlett Sanchez led the attack with five shots on goal, followed by Alexis St. Mary and Delanie Killinger with three apiece, Addink with three, Murray and Jill Linehan with two each, and Bella Wood with one.

The victory leaves Ephrata at 4-4 in CWAC play and 6-6-2 overall, good for fourth place in the very competitive 2A league. Just one win separates the Tigers, Ellensburg (4-4), and Quincy (5-3) in the middle of the CWAC standings – closely matched competition that has produced close games and multiple overtime finishes this fall.

At the top, East Valley (Yakima) has been dominant at 7-1 in league, 14-1-1 overall, and holds the No. 6 WIAA RPI ranking. The Red Devils’ only loss came against second-place Selah.

Ephrata opens district play at noon Saturday, Oct. 25 on the road at East Valley. It will mark the third meeting between the two programs this season, EV took the first contest 8-1 in Ephrata and edged the Tigers 2-1 in Yakima.

Other CWAC first round district matchups that day include Prosser at Othello, Quincy at Selah, and Toppenish at Ellensburg.

EPHRATA — On Senior Night, the Ephrata Tigers closed out their home schedule in style last Saturday (Oct. 18), defeating Prosser 3-0 in a CWAC matchup.

The Tigers wasted little time setting the tone, scoring just eight minutes into the match when Skarlett Sanchez connected on an unassisted strike to give Ephrata an early lead and a spark of confidence that carried through the first half.

In the second half, Paige Murray extended the lead on a feed from Sanchez, and Bella Wood added the final goal off an assist from Brooklynne Addink, sealing the 3-0 win.

Ephrata put together 12 shots on goal, led by Jill Linehan with three and Delanie Killinger with two. Additional attempts came from Sophie Molitor, Paige Murray, Brooklynne Addink, Megan Truscott, Bella Wood, Skarlett Sanchez and Aliyah Lafferty.

Aiyana Valle and Natalin Abundiz shared time in goal to record 10 saves and secure the shutout.

The Tigers paid special tribute to their eight seniors: Cynthia Villagran Morales, Lacey Burton, Lila Rainey, Delanie Killinger, Natalin Abundiz, Bella Wood, and Lilly Brewer.

Coach Gary Klepec called the group one of the most special he’s had. Klepec said it’s been a privilege to work with such a large senior class and watch them grow together over four seasons. Rainey and Killinger plan to continue their soccer careers in college, while all eight leave behind lasting memories and a strong example for younger Tigers to follow.