UMATILLA — Freshman Elaina Jewett converted a penalty kick with just under 8 minutes left in game to give Umatilla a 3-2 lead that would stand as the final score as the Vikings eked out a victory over Echo/Stanfield on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in the second round of the 3A/2A/1A state playoffs.
“With the way the entire game was going back and forth, they immediately went back on the attack and I thought they were going to get us again,” Umatilla coach Edgar Navarrete said. “I was prepared to go overtime with our track record with them this year. We did a good job handling the last 8 minutes.”
The sixth-ranked Vikings (12-0-4) move on to Saturday’s state quarterfinals for the first time in school history, where they will face Creswell, which beat Blanchet Catholic 1-0 to advance.
The Cougars finished their season with a 10-3-2 record.
“It was difficult without PJ (Royer),” Echo/Stanfield coach Danielle MacBride said. “With her, it may have been different. It’s a good learning lesson for the girls. We needed the girls to rally around each other and they did. We were just a step behind at times. Umatilla is a great team. They have girls who put in the work in the offseason and their coach has made an impact as well. It was going to have to be earned.”
It was the third meeting between the teams this year, with one game ending in a 2-2 tie, and Umatilla winning 2-1 on Sept. 30. Navarrete said the familiarity helped his team.
“It gave us comfort knowing it was a team we have played before and we knew how they played,” he said. “It helped relieve a little pressure.”
The Vikings opened the game with a goal by Alexa Garcia at 16:22 of the first half. The score would stand at the half.
In the second half, the Cougars tied the score at 1-1 on an Emily Rose penalty kick, but Garcia put Umatilla back out front with her second goal of the game off an assist by Jewett.
Sophomore Payton Madison scored her first goal of the season for the Cougars to knot the score at 2-2 with about 20 minutes left on the clock. Jewett finished the scoring 12 minutes later.
“Echo had their eye on her the entire game,” Navarrete said of Jewett. “They know she is tough and one of our top players. They were looking for ways to stop her. She helped give us a lot of chances. She left everything she had on the field.”
Rylee Sanchez finished with four saves for the Vikings, while Jude Royer had six saves for the Cougars.
Photos by Kathy Aney. Echo's Hope Russell (9) and Umatilla's Yesenia Castaneda (14) go after the ball on Nov. 4, 2025, during a state playoff game in Umatilla. The Vikings won the game 3-2.
Umatilla goalkeeper Rylee Sanchez watches an Echo shot on goal go wide on Nov. 4, 2025, during a state playoff game in Umatilla. The Vikings won the game 3-2.