Lynnwood soccer decisively dispatches Marysville Getchell

Published 6:56 pm Tuesday, April 10, 2012

You can never tell with the Lynnwood boys soccer team.

Heading into last week’s showdown with Marysville Getchell, eight different players have scored goals for the Royals.

Make it nine as three different players hit the back of the net in Lynnwood’s 3-0 victory over the Chargers in a Western Conference 3A game April 4 at Lynnwood High School.

The victory moved Lynnwood (6-2 in the league, 6-2 overall) into sole possession of second place behind first-place Shorewood (8-0, 8-0). Marysville Getchell (5-2-1, 5-2-1) dropped into third place.

“Our goal for the season was to get halfway through and we wanted to be in the top four looking on to postseason play,” said Lynnwood coach Ryan Camden. “We knew we had to take out one of the top three teams. Marysville Getchell was someone we were gearing up for all season watching them in the standings. … The boys knew what was at stake.”

Sophomore Marco Granado scored his first goal of the season. Teammates Ousman Faye and Momoduo Drammeh also had goals.

“We set a starting lineup based on the previous day’s practice,” Camden said. “On any given night it’s going to be someone different. Some teams have one or two stars. For Lynnwood, it could be any of our starting 11. … It’s something really hard to stop.”

The shutout was the Royals’ third straight. Camden places a great deal of emphasis on defense.

“My philosophy is defense wins games,” he said. “If we have a good defense, we’ll have a good offense. … We build our offense out of the defense. We build from the back. We have speed in the back. Having speed on the defensive end of the field really helps with the offense and getting it up top.

“We have outside defensive players who have offensive experience. They know what it’s like tactically to get into the attack and build the offense. A lot of teams don’t expect that. They expect it to just be the forwards. When we have the defense … it creates more opportunities for us.”

Goalkeeper Jose Del Rio is one of only four seniors on the roster. He brings leadership not only to the games and at practice.

“The biggest thing is his heart. He’s probably one of the most disciplined players on our starting 11,” Camden said. “He has the experience. When he’s in the games he knows what to expect. People look up to him.”

Senior Denden Russom drew an important assignment against Marysville Getchell. He was to shadow the Chargers’ leading scorer, Javier Gomez Mora-Rey, who came into the game with a league-leading 12 goals.

“Russom had a phenomenal game,” Camden said.

To start the second half of the regular season, Lynnwood takes on Shorewood (Tuesday) and Glacier Peak (Thursday).

The plan is for the Royals to review what they’ve done so far and work on a list of new goals for the rest of the season, Camden said.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” he added. “We’re doing to keep doing the things we’ve been doing. … The boys have confidence, which they really haven’t had before. They know what it’s like to win.”