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Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com

Meadowdale loses game and star player

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer

EDMONDS -- The Meadowdale Mavericks' road to state just got exponentially more difficult.

Not only did the Mavericks fall 1-0 to the Mount Vernon Bulldogs on Tuesday night in the class 3A District 1 boys soccer playoffs, necessitating victories in two straight loser-out games over the next four days.

But Meadowdale now faces that task with the prospect of playing without its most dangerous offensive player.

Meadowdale senior forward and co-captain Ryan Olson had to be assisted off the field in the second half because of a calf injury.

Then Mount Vernon scored a wonderful goal with three minutes remaining in regulation -- a nice team move finished off by David Navaro -- to send the Bulldogs into the championship game and the Mavericks into the losers bracket.

"I thought our guys played their tails off," Meadowdale coach Sean Griffin said. "There were a couple short periods where I felt Mount Vernon had the run of play, but I'd say for the most part of the game we created the better opportunities in front. But we couldn't finish, we never really tested the keeper."

Meadowdale (8-6-4) next faces Ferndale in a loser-out game at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Edmonds District Stadium. If the Mavericks survive that game, they'll then have to defeat the loser of the championship game between Mount Vernon and Shorecrest on Saturday for the district's second and final state berth.

And it's possible the Mavericks will be without Olson, who up until the time he left Tuesday's game in the 57th minute looked the the likeliest player to break the scoreless deadlock.

"I don't know how bad it is, we're going to have to see," Griffin said of Olson's injury. "He got kicked really hard in the back of the calf and it made his entire leg seize up, so we'll just have to wait and see. At the very least there a deep bruise in there."

Olson's absence during the game's final 23 minutes was a severe blow to Meadowdale's offense.

"We were only playing through balls and we had to totally change our attacking play," Meadowdale co-captain Jacob Schmitt said about the consequences of Olson's injury. "We tried to work it around the outsides, but he's a big asset. And I was impressed by his replacements, too, because they don't see as much playing time. They gave a hard effort."

At Edmonds District Stadium

Goals--Mount Vernon: Navaro. Assists--Mount Vernon: Jimenez. Goalkeepers--Meadowdale: McDonald. Mount Vernon: DaVila. Records--Meadowdals 8-6-4. Mount Vernon 16-2.

Shorecrest 4, Ferndale 0: At Edmonds, Jonathan Cho had a goal and an assist and Ruben Balthasar has two assists as Shorecrest defeated Ferndale to advance to the 3A District 1 finals.

At Edmonds District Stadium

Goals--Shorecrest: Ghebremichael, Musar, Cho, Crudo. Assists--Shorecrest: Balthasar 2, Cho. Goalkeepers--Ferndale: Lervik. Shorecrest: McDonald. Records--Ferndale not reported. Shorecrest 14-3-0 overall.