BOYS SOCCER: Shorecrest notches third straight trip to 3A state tournament

Published 10:01 pm Saturday, May 10, 2008

EDMONDS — The Shorecrest Scots out-muscled Meadowdale to capture the final 3A District 1 state tournament berth Saturday afternoon.

The Scots return to the 3A state tournament for the sixth straight year, defeating a fatigued and battered Mavericks 3-0 in a winner-to-state, loser-out game at Edmonds District Stadium.

“It is always nice to return to state,” Shorecrest coach Drew Thompson said. “It gets harder to face a same team after a while as you know each others strengths and weaknesses.”

Shorecrest and Meadowdale met twice in the regular season.

Shorecrest travels to play the No. 1 seed from District 3/4, Auburn-Riverside (15-1-2). Auburn-Riverside has only allowed seven goals on the season.

After a scoreless first half in which Shorecrest possessed the ball for the majority of the time, the Scots broke through for a goal in the 55th minute. Josh Rudnick had a 28-yard free kick from the left side of the goal that found the head of a leaping Michael Harris to put the Scots up 1-0.

“Michael did well to get up and get to that ball,” Thompson said of the first Shorecrest goal.

Harris’s goal proved to be all Shorecrest would need as Meadowdale’s offense was hampered with injuries and fatigue from playing their eighth game in 15 days.

Starting forward Ryan Olson was hampered with an injury suffered in a physical contest with Mount Vernon on Tuesday. Jack Gold, the Mavericks leading goal scorer, was out with a severe fracture of his right arm, which is in a cast up to his shoulder.

“The kid just has guts and has been playing through a great amount of pain,” Meadowdale coach Sean Griffin said of his senior captain Olson. “We did have some serious fatigue set in, but that is not to say the kids still gave a tremendous effort. I am really proud of all the kids.”

Meadowdale returns the majority of its team next season, losing just five seniors. Starting goalkeeper Neketa McDonald continues his playing career at Whitman College and Olson ends his to focus on academics at Washington State Univerisity.

“We will miss the seniors and their leadership they brought to the team,” Griffin said. “I think we had a great season and this was a team that really came together as a team and cared for one another. The team effort, team experience and the bonding as a team together is much more rememberable than wins and losses.”

In the 69th minute, Shorecrest forward Devin Shull muscled out a Meadowdale defender for the ball on top of the penalty box and scored a goal to put Shorescrest up 2-0.

The Scots’ Mikey Wyda gathered the ball in between three Meadowdale defenders after a deflection off a corner kick and rocketed the ball into the net in the 75th minute to seal the victory for Shorecrest.

“They out-muscled us and beat us to the ball in the second half,” Griffin said.

Shorecrest’s defense and goalkeeper Andrew McDonald have allowed nine goals on the season. The Scots’ defense is anchored by Wesco South two-time first-teamer Mickey Crudo, junior Nick Terrel and seniors Brian Sharkey and Stephan Strom.

“With the defense the way it is, we feel confident when we score a goal,” Thompson said of his backline.

At Edmonds District Stadium

Goals—Shorecrest: Harris, Shull, Wyda. Assists—Shorecrest: Rudnick. Goalkeepers—Meadowdale: N. McDonald. Shorecrest: A. McDonald. Records—Meadowdale 10-6-4 overall. Shorecrest 16-4-0.