The Sammamish girls soccer team returns tonight at 7 p.m. to the class 3A state tournament for the first time since 1997, taking on Sumner High School at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.

The Totems (11-4-4) survived a rocky road to return to state, having entered the postseason as KingCo 3A’s No. 5 seed, defeating No. 2 Liberty and No. 4 Bellevue in the span of two days to reach a state play-in game against Bishop Blanchet on Nov. 8.

Sammamish defeated the Braves, the No. 3 seed from the Metro League, 3-1 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle to clinch a state berth. Tina Jacobsen and Shannon Scott both scored goals for the Totems in the win. Sammamish also scored on an own goal by the Braves.

Clare McKannay scored Bishop Blanchet’s only goal.

Anna Geldenhuys is Sammamish’s leading scorer this season, having netted 16 goals and five assists for 37 points, 30 more points than the next Totems scorer.

Sammamish’s opponents, the Sumner Spartans of the South Puget Sound League, come into state having won only one of their last three games. After starting the season 13-2, the Spartans (14-3-1) tied Bonney Lake on Oct. 30 and lost 4-0 to Kennedy on Nov. 5 before beating Bremerton in a winner-to-state game on Nov. 8.

The Spartans are led by a pair of high-scoring players in Amber Fenton and Kaylee Holloway. Fenton has scored 26 goals and 10 assists for 62 points, while Holloway has netted 17 goals and six assists for 40 points.

The last time the Totems made the state tournament, they lost to Mount Vernon 5-0 in the first round.

Joel Willits can be reached at 425-453-5045 or at jwillits@bellevuereporter.com.