Just over a month ago, freshman midfielder Gaby Chappell was playing for the Edmonds-Woodway girls junior varsity soccer team.

After being called up to the varsity mid-season, Chappell got the opportunity of her young high school career, in the state 3A quarterfinals Saturday against Central Kitsap.

She made the most of it.

Chappell scored the game-winning goal from the right side about 20 yards out, in the 76th minute, to send the Warriors back to the state 3A girls soccer semifinals with a 2-1 victory. Her teammates mobbed her on the Edmonds Stadium turf, after breaking a 1-1 tie that had existed since midway through the first half.

“I didn’t see anyone in front of me,” Chappell said. “I was waiting the whole game for an opportunity like that. When it came out to me I knew I had to finish it, I wanted to do that all season.”

Edmonds-Woodway (18-1-2), the defending state champs, play Seattle Prep at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 at Puyallup’s Sparks Stadium in the second 3A semifinal of the day. Arlington, whom the Warriors beat in the 3A District 1 final, plays Southridge of Kennewick at 2 p.m. in the first 3A semifinal.

“Throughout the season we were building confidence and when I joined the team we were playing really well. It’s really exciting that we’re here and we believe we can do it,” Chappell said.

Edmonds-Woodway’s season-long theme of any player stepping up to make big plays at any given moment, continued.

Edmonds-Woodway got on the scoreboard first in the 18th minute. From the right side, senior Ashleigh Fonsen turned and shot with her right foot from 15 yards out while inside the penalty box, knocking the ball past Jori Frisinger, the Central Kitsap goalkeeper. Fonsen played in the midfield in the first half on the right wing, but moved back to defense on the left side in the second half.

Central Kitsap quickly answered in the 21st minute, when senior Michaela Wallitner got an open look from 25 yards out and launched a shot past E-W goalkeeper Hannah Hicks into the left side of the goal.

The Warriors outshot the Cougars 17-6 in the game, including 10-4 in the first half, but converting those shots into goals proved to be a challenge on the rain-soaked field.

“They’re a good squad. They were able to slow us down and stall us out on the attack,” E-W head coach Bill LeCompte said. “We didn’t capitalize on opportunities we had. Some days that’s the way it goes. Ultimately we came up on the upper side of it. We’ll take it and move on.”

The Warriors will get almost a week to prepare for Seattle Prep, which will allow the players to heal from the minor injuries that come with a long season, 21 games so far.

Central Kitsap 1 0 — 1

E-W 1 1 — 2

— By Tony Dondero