POULSBO — Senior defender Jack Neffner put Shorecrest on the board in the 21st minute and assisted on Nick Shively’s go-ahead goal in the 76th minute as the Scots took down Kingston on Saturday in the 2A State Soccer Quarterfinals. Kingston’s only score was on an own goal by Shorecrest in the 73rd minute but the Scots fought back in the final minutes of regulation to pull ahead for good.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys because a young team would have crumbled after giving up a game-tying own goal,” said Shorecrest coach Drew Thompson. “But with all of our seniors, their maturity, and their will to win, we just have such a great group of guys with so much pride in their school and soccer program.”
The red-hot Scots have won nine of their last ten matches with their last loss occuring in the 2A District Tournament against Archbishop Murphy.
With the win, Shorecrest advances to the state semifinals where they will meet that very same Archbishop Murphy team next Friday at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.
Thompson said his team didn’t play particulary well against Murphy in the previous meeting but he feels confident in the Scots’ chances as long as they play up to their abilities and limit mistakes.
“Its just one of those things in sports where we didnt play our best game against a very good Archbishop Murphy team,” said Thompson. “But on any given night its always going to come down to whomever plays well on that particular night.”
Shorecrest has been on the winning end of 13 shutouts throughout the course of the 2015 season. Thompson said his goalkeepers, junior Matt Wheaton and sophomore Spencer Haddenham-Gibler, have set the tone for a strong defensive showing from his team on a nightly basis.
“Matthew and Spencer are both having great seasons but it’s truly a total team effort on our defense,” he said. “Our back four defensive players have just been fantastic all year long and the midfield works so hard defensively and we really pride ourselves on focusing on defending well.”
When asked how his team is handling their postseason run, Thompson said it all comes down to the experience of the 10 seniors on his roster and what they bring to the table.
“We’re starting seven of our seniors and were in the 3A state championship a few years ago so they know what its like to play in these big games,” said Thompson. “They’re all contributing in their own way and it seems like somebody new comes up big every game but the bottom line is that we’re a very mature team and we just play hard.”
At North Kitsap H.S.
Goals—Jack Neffner (Shore), Nick Shively (Shore), Shorecrest own goal. Assists—Neffner (Shore). Goalkeepers—Shorecrest: Matthew Wheaton. Kingston: Not reported. Records—Shorecrest 19-2-1. Kingston 14-6-0.
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