It’s been a long time since Inglemoor High made it to the 4A state tournament. The Vikings’ last trip to the “big dance” was in 2001, when they lost in the 4A championship game and current varsity head coach Bryan McNiel was running the junior-varsity squad.
Although the team was good, it was also a forgettable time for Viking girls soccer. The program was soured by a bad reputation in the early 2000s, and a midseason coaching change in 2002 saw McNiel take over one of the best teams in the state.
“That was an unfortunate time in the program,” McNiel remembered. “That stemmed really from a couple players that were pretty intense and pretty competitive … but since then, I haven’t heard anything about that being an issue.”
Coming off a 5-4-1 league season that saw his team make it to the postseason, McNiel is excited about the Vikings’ 2008 campaign and their attempt to get farther in the playoffs. The Vikings lost in the second round of the 4A Kingco district tournament last year.
“Our objective is to go out there and play our best and hope that we make it to the playoffs again,” McNiel said. “It’s a whole new season when playoffs start, and I think (our league) has two or three playoff berths to state, so we’re trying to keep chipping away at that.”
The veteran coach has a number of returners that will help him do just that.
One player hungry to make an impact is defender Anne Lilly, who started out as a sweeper during her sophomore year but had to sit out the entire 2007 season with an injury.
Second-team all-Kingco selection Stevie Hamilton, a senior, is a key returner for the Vikings because of a very thin roster at the midfield position.
“We’re hoping she will fill a hole in the center of our field,” McNiel said. “We had a bunch of seniors graduate who were center-mids.”
The seventh-year head coach said that he is feeling good about his defense — as most his returners come from the backfield — and forwards, which he says he has “four or five different options” for.
The most gaping hole of all, however, would have to be the one left by the graduation of 4A Kingco Player of the Year Lily Granston, the phenomenal Viking goalkeeper known for making near-impossible saves. She is playing for Southern Oregon University this year.
“(Lily) is almost irreplaceable because of her skill and ability. Our backup keeper (Erin Bankaitis) returns, she’s a junior now, so she had the experience of being under Lily for a year and seeing what was going on,” McNiel said. “Now’s her opportunity to step up — it’s going to be a tough hole to fill for us … Lily really saved our butts a lot last year.”
McNiel also raved about a new sophomore forward, Angela Fatigati, who should garner plenty of goals and assists for the Vikings.
“I think she will be an impact player, she’s pretty crafty and aggressive. I’m hoping she can help us up front with scoring opportunities,” McNiel said.
Despite having to do battle with the new 4A Kingco alignment featuring soccer powerhouse Issaquah along with perennial frontrunner Eastlake, the Viking players are full of confidence and eager to get another shot of proving their worth in the playoffs.
“We’re looking pretty solid this year,” said senior Lilly. “We did lose a lot of players, but our camaraderie together has been good so far.”
Senior Amanda Hall, a returning forward, added, “We’re a lot better than past years, we always have a lot of potential, but we have a lot of good younger players this year, too. It could be a challenge, but I think we can do it. We can hold our own.”
