Viks scratch out win over Enumclaw; clinch league title

Puyallup edged Enumclaw 14-11 on Wednesday afternoon in Enumclaw to secure its first Puget Sound Divisional title and the division's top seed to next week's state tournament at Rogers High School. The Vikings will open state play on Wednesday at 7:15 against most likely Stadium High School. Puyallup will close out it regular season with a home game on Friday against Bonney Lake. It will be senior night and seven seniors will be playing their final home game of their Viking careers.
The Vikings needed all that senior leadership and more to take the sting out of a fired up Hornet squad. Trailing 3-2 after one quarter, Puyallup battled back on consecutive goals from Kim Akiona and Haley Carroll to take a 5-4 lead with just under three minutes to play in the half. Enumclaw then scored of its own, but Akiona scored her second goal with eight seconds in the half to forge a 6-6 tie. The third quarter was more back and forth water polo. The lead change hands three times. Carroll's second goal of the quarter gave Puyallup a short lived 9-8 lead with :54 left, but Enumclaw managed a power play goal with six seconds left in the quarter. In the first three quarters, Puyallup was plagued by poor passing, spacing and the resultant turnovers. In the fourth, the Vikings' transition game returned, and they pulled out to a two-goal lead on scores from Paige Boyer and Katie Kindle. Kindle added her fourth goal of the game with three and a half minutes left to give Puyallup a thee goal lead that it wouldn't relinguish. The Vikings five-goal scoring burst in the fourth was fueled by tough two-meter defense from Hannah Fralick and perimeter stops from Bri Watts and Katie Hayes. When things finally settled Puyallup improved to 18-0 on the year and was lead by Carroll's five goals and Kindle's four. Boyer added three tallies and Akiona added two.