Marauders blank Panthers

Published 10:13 pm Wednesday, April 6, 2011

SNOHOMISH — If anyone wasn’t taking Mariner soccer’s fast start seriously up to this point, now would be a good time to become a believer in the Marauders.

Led by the four-goal effort of senior forward Yahir Sandoval, Mariner trounced Snohomish, a traditional Wesco powerhouse, 5-0 Wednesday night to improve to 7-2 on the season and 5-2 in league play.

Mariner, in its seventh season under head coach Vince DeSimone, went 8-9 last season, and just 2-14 two years ago. The Marauders haven’t qualified for state since 1993, but on Wednesday night they made it clear that they’ll be a team to be reckoned with in 2011.

“It feels good beating them, because they’re always one of the top teams in the state,” said Sandoval, who also had a hat trick in a Mariner victory last week.

Indeed Snohomish is a force in Wesco on an annual basis. Under longtime coach Dan Pingrey, the Panthers have made state in each of the last 12 years, twice winning Class 4A titles. For Sandoval and the rest of his teammates, the win over Snohomish was a first.

“It was a big game for us when we stepped on this field,” DeSimone said. “These kids were aware that we weren’t playing just a team, we were playing a Snohomish team that’s been a state champ and been good for many, many years.”

DeSimone wasn’t just happy with the fact that his team beat Snohomish (4-5 overall, 4-4 league), but that his players finished with such precision. The Marauders play a very aesthetically pleasing form of soccer with short passes and skillful players who help Mariner dominate possession, but up until Wednesday night, that wasn’t translating to goals.

“That’s what’s been missing this year, shooting,” DeSimone said. “We just haven’t been able to put the ball in the net. I guess everything came together today.”

Asked how Mariner has nearly equaled its 2010 win total in nine games this year, DeSimone credited the skill of his players.

“What’s different this year is that we have a group of kids that can pass the ball around, and they are out there with intensity,” DeSimone said. “They really want the game to be played their style, which is the Spanish style of knocking the ball around, short passes, then get a good hit on the ball and score. … These guys can really knock the ball around. That’s what’s been different this year.”

Despite the lopsided final, the first half was balanced for the most part, and it looked like Snohomish was headed for the lead in the 30th minute when midfielder Connor Nutt collected a loose ball in the box and fired a shot that beat Mariner keeper Ulises Hernandez. But before the ball could cross the goal line, defender Adama Drammeh was able to clear the shot away to preserve the scoreless tie.

Nine minutes later, Sandoval drew a foul in corner of the box — a call that didn’t sit well with Pingrey or his players — and the forward buried the penalty kick to give Mariner a 1-0 halftime lead.

Mariner quickly made it a two-goal lead in the second half when Drammeh fired a loose ball into the net after Snohomish goalkeeper Uriel Herrera made a diving save on the initial shot off of a corner kick.

From there Sandoval took over, scoring goals in the 49th, 57th, and 60th minutes, increasing the distance and degree of difficulty with each goal.

“The first half I wasn’t feeling it,” he said. “But the second half, they told me to go at them and play my style, and things just went well for me.”

Snohomish was missing starting Troy McCarty who is with his club team, Crossfire Premier, in Milan, Italy. Snohomish also played without starting goalkeeper Branden George.

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.