Seattle Christian's Warriors are back.

The Warriors beat the LaSalle Lightning, 2-1, in the WIAA Dairy Farmers Of Washington 1A state championship girls soccer game at Curtis High School Saturday, Nov. 18.

"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" was the Warriors' final cheer of the season together.

Cheering to Jesus?

"Yep, that's where it all goes," said Alyssa Harney, who assisted senior and fellow captain Noelle Simpson on the game's first goal.

"Just gotta," added Simpson as both gave the final words of the season after what's been a great coaching effort from second year co-coaches Kelee Wall and Melissa Bennett. Both those coaches played for the Warriors in the mid 1990s and helped the state champion string reach seven seasons.

So this season was great, perfect.

"I think anyone would have said it couldn't have happened any better," said Bennett.

It couldn't have been any better of a final four run for these guys as they were thoroughly out-possessed of the ball 80 minutes and two overtimes against Kings. Thank you goalie Jessica Kane in that one. And then La Salle looked to be the more skilled team in the final, to start anyway.

The Warriors soon established the tempo from hustle and determination, however.

"Our goal was to put the pressure on them because Kings put all the pressure (and shots) on us in the semifinal," said Wall.

That strategy worked for the Warriors, as LaSalle, in all honesty, the more skilled, quicker team, just like Kings, was starting to look like a team that had just seen... Jesus. The SCS' foes looked stunned with 14 minutes left in the first half, right about the time SCS' striker, Simpson, headed the ball from the top of the 18-yard box into the 6-yard box area where Harney ran toward the ball and jumped up high and headed it in.

"I was just getting it in there," said Simpson. "I was just seeing it in there and my girl here, Alyssa, put it in. Oh yeah."

Both laughed at Simpson's downhome way of saying things.

The Warriors were well on their way then as the Lightning seemed lethargic, if not, lost, after that as the Warriors continued high-pressure wherever whenever a Lightning was near the leather. Then, in a good back-to-the-basket play, so to speak, that the successful state champion SCS' boys basketball coach Roger DeBoer must have liked seeing. Simpson, being hand-checked by defenders 12 yards straightaway from the goal, turned with the ball. She then won a 50/50 ball against two defenders, the ball out almost too far in front of her, and blasted it in far-post.

"I just turned and plowed right through them," said Simpson.

"I wanted it, and, like is said, up just one goal can be a scary situation to be in."

Was good to have that Simpson insurance for sure. Not only that, but a goal like that, when the other team, in this case, SCS, is controlling ball possession more than you by a little, well, it becomes a lot.

SCS, who scored that second goal with 16 minutes left in the second half, then were the aggressors the next five minutes. Then LaSalle began controlling the ball, as desperation set in the final 10 minutes.

But Jessica Kane made so many good saves this game earlier that the one goal LaSalle made in the last two minutes just didn't matter.

This did matter...

"Lisa Peterson, our old coach, gave us good motivation," said Simpson. "She told us, 'you guys have 80 minutes and then it's not your choice anymore."

Peterson coached this team greatly for a lot of seasons, including seven straight championships.

"Pretty exciting, huh? It's nice to have that big trophy back at school, said Lisa's husband, Dave, the SCS athletic director and coach himself of state champions at SCS and Mount Rainier.

It was exciting, a nice run, and a good way to end things, maybe this will lead to great things.

"The girls played great soccer, very well coached, carrying on a good tradition," said Dave.