Vikings strike late

Published 11:42 pm Tuesday, April 13, 2010

LAKE STEVENS — In a spirited showdown between two Western Conference North boys soccer contenders, Lake Stevens and Marysville-Pilchuck battled to a 1-1 tie on Tuesday night.

Visiting Marysville-Pilchuck scored in the first half and then tried to hang on through the second period, but the Vikings knotted the score in the final two minutes to force overtime.

In the extra period, both teams had scoring chances — each side had a shot that banged off the post — before the final whistle.

And afterward both head coaches were pleased, for the most part.

“This was a playoff type of soccer game,” said Vikings coach Scott Flanders. “(Marysville-Pilchuck) was a state semifinalist last year and they’re a veteran team. They know what it takes to win big games. We’re still learning, so I really felt like this was a good playoff test for us.”

“I thought we played really hard,” said Tomahawks coach Geoff Erickson. “I’m excited because I think we’re only going to get better.”

Marysville-Pilchuck struck first in the early minutes as senior forward James Allen sent a ball into the middle, and it was headed into the left side of the net by senior forward Brady Ballew.

“I thought that James’ cross and Brady’s finish with his head was probably one of the best goals I’ve seen all year in high school soccer,” Erickson said. “Brady has an awesome head on him.”

The first half ended with the score still 1-0, and it stayed that way until the late minutes. Lake Stevens was increasing its pressure, and the tactic paid off with about two minutes to play when sophomore midfielder Tanner Sellars let loose with a blistering shot that struck the post.

The ball caromed back to oncoming teammate Jake Orwiler, a senior midfielder, and he blasted a shot into the net for the tying goal.

“We kind of came out flat,” Flanders said. “I think we were still a little excited from our win on Friday night against Snohomish (a 3-2 Vikings victory), and I don’t think we respected these guys enough in the first half.

“So by the time the second half got going, I was pretty happy with our play,” he said. “The second half was better.”

Both teams pushed the action in the 10 minutes of overtime, trying for the game-winning goal. And both teams nearly pulled it off.

It was Marysville-Pilchuck which nearly ended the contest in the first five-minute OT period. Sophomore midfielder Anthony Johnson broke free on the right wing and sent a shot that struck the right post and rebounded back into play.

In the second five-minute period, and after the teams traded ends, Lake Stevens senior forward Vasily Bogdanoff sent a shot from the middle that also struck the right post in almost the same spot before bouncing away.

Lake Stevens began the night in sole possession of first place in the Wesco North. The Vikings are still on top, though they now share that spot with Snohomish, which defeated Cascade on Tuesday. Lake Stevens is 7-1-1 for 22 points, while Snohomish also has 22 points with a 7-2-1 mark.

“We’re a young team,” Flanders said. “We’re still learning and growing and getting better every day. But I’m really happy with the way the guys are working together. This was a great team effort.”

Marysville-Pilchuck is in third place with a 6-2-1 record and 19 points. The Tomahawks are looking forward to the returns of two top players, senior forward John Crenshaw and senior midfielder Juan Guadarrama, who have both missed the early season with injuries.