Balance Point youth soccer team wins Skagit Valley title

Nothing in life is perfect.

But the Balance Point girls’ U-12 soccer team is about as close as it gets. They went 6-0-2 in league action – outscoring foes by a cumulative 32-13 margin.

The La Conner club then won two playoff games at the Skagit River Park Playfields in Burlington on Saturday, capturing the Skagit Valley Youth Soccer crown in its age division.

Balance Point beat Mestizos Mexican Restaurant of Sedro-Woolley 1-0 in the semifinals. Maicy Bowles scored the lone goal in the hard-fought match, a defensive struggle played in cold, rainy conditions.

Balance Point won the field position battle throughout, but superb goaltending by Mestizos kept the team off the scoreboard until Bowles found the net with a clutch shot in the late going.

The La Conner team then beat Team Gordillo of Mount Vernon 4-2 in the title round.

Abi Poulton deftly navigated the muddy surface to drill three goals for Balance Point. Her rare hat trick plus a solo score by Kiana Jenkins provided enough offense to edge Team Gordillo, which had advanced on the strength of its own semifinal win over Sedro-Woolley Family Dental.

Balance Point goalie Olive Clinger was stellar in the net the entire afternoon, yielding just the two scores in the championship game after having earlier blanked Mestizos.

The 16-member team, coached by Tracy and Robert Hancock, included players who competed in youth basketball on Saturday as well.

“These girls,” said mom Beth Bowles, “dug deep and played hard.”

In addition to Bowles, Poulton, Jenkins and Clinger, Balance Point received strong playoff performances from Malorie Drake, Reese Bird, Kim Williams, Finley Hancock, Aisley Zimmerman, Julia Nelson, Annika Keith, Shawntay Perry, Marley Perkes, Maddie Miller, Ruby Billy and Eva Dent.