Shorewood boys soccer survives state semis in penalty shootout

Published 10:29 pm Friday, May 29, 2026

PUYALLUP — The Stormrays were still in it.

Despite seeing multiple key players go down with cramps late, and despite giving up a 78th-minute equalizer to No. 11 Bishop Blanchet (17-4-2) that made it 1-1 and forced a penalty shootout, the Shorewood boys soccer team had victory in its sights.

Junior defender Caleb Butler stepped to the spot with the Class 3A state semifinal shootout tied 4-4, but the No. 2 Stormrays (21-0-1) would clinch the win with a make thanks to a save from penalty specialist Maxwell Smith.

With a spot in the state title match at stake, the nerves mounted for Butler as he watched each taker go ahead of him. He knew he’d be shooting fifth, down from his usual fourth position.

But the nerves washed away when Butler watched fellow junior Elias Magallanes bury his shot to make it 4-3.

“As soon as Eli scored the fourth and it was on me to win rather than lose, I just felt more relaxed and excited,” Butler said.

It showed, as he scored his penalty with a rolling strike to the bottom right corner.

FINAL: No. 2 Shorewood 1 (5), No. 11 Bishop Blanchet 1 (4)

The Stormrays advance to the state title game, pushing past a late Bears equalizer in PKs.

Five straight makes, lots of composure culminating in a Caleb Butler winner.

The scenes:@HeraldNetPreps pic.twitter.com/6YO0ler295

— Qasim Ali (@qasimasports) May 30, 2026

Just a week after escaping a 2-0 hole against Eastside Catholic to reach Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, the Stormrays were once again sprinting to celebrate with their fans.

The win set up a state title rematch against No. 1 Mercer Island on Saturday, a game Shorewood dropped 3-2 to end a dream 2025 season. A win over the Islanders would mean Shorewood’s first boys soccer state title since 1978.

With their biggest game still on the horizon, the Stormrays chose to soak the moment in.

Forward Taj Babayev carried Smith in celebration as the two substitutes were each examples of what’s been Shorewood’s recipe for success.

Depth.

“We just have a lot of really talented guys on our roster,” head coach Shaun Warner said postgame. “The guys that were called into the game stepped up.”

In the backline, senior captain Tally Lord missed the match with an ankle injury dating back to the win over Eastside Catholic. In his wing-back spot, usual forward Bobby Lamb stepped in to deliver a solid shift.

Late in the game, subs like Magallanes, junior Noah Mekonnen and others had to replace key players like senior captains Daniel Bruno and Nikola “Niki” Genadiev, who were both dealing with cramps.

“It really shows our depth in our squad,” Genadiev said of the impact subs. “If you lose those players on any other roster, they’re giving up two, three goals maybe in that (final) 20 minutes… This game showed how deep of a squad we really are.”

Who may have appeared to be an unlikely hero was Smith, who subbed on for starting keeper Kaare Nye in overtime. It was part of the plan for weeks — Warner and his staff had told Smith he’d come on for penalties if and when they arrived.

“He stood out with his explosiveness and his athleticism,” Warner said of Smith. “I think it’s a psychological advantage when you take a keeper out and put a new one in. The other guys are like, ‘Why are they putting this guy in?’”

While the Bears may have been unfamiliar with Smith’s game, he had been studying Blanchet’s tendencies closely.

As the second taker came to the spot, Smith knew exactly where he was heading.

Bottom right corner.

“Last week, to get here, they were taking a pen. He went the same way,” Smith said. “So I was just in the back of my mind like, ‘If I think he’s going to go right, I’m just gonna commit because I saw where he went last week.”

His scouting paid off, as Smith ushered the ball away to set Shorewood up to win it with four more makes.

Senior captain Isak Medhaug buried his shot calmly before Babayev sent a scorcher to the top right bin to make it 3-2. Then came Magallanes and Butler to finish it off.

“It’s not just about shooting; it’s about having composure. I thought every guy that stepped up kind of took a deep breath, picked their spot, and put it where they wanted it,” Warner said, with many of his same players participating in an eight-make shootout at State against Bellevue last season.

Early on, the Stormrays showed that same patience.

They watched as promising shots from Genadiev and others were blocked away by a talented and in-form Blanchet defense — fresh off upsets over No. 6 Shorecrest and No. 3 Silas. Nye had made a diving save in the 21st to keep Shorewood level, but the offense was still waiting for a breakthrough.

Junior forward Julian Shook came on after the 25th minute to provide his usual spark out on the left wing, and he did just that in the 30th.

Bruno played a long ball out to Shook as he raced a Blanchet defender for a pass that looked destined to be cleared away.

Shook closed at an unexpected pace, forcing the defender into a sudden and late challenge just inside the penalty box, making hard contact with the Stormray.

“I saw him flying at me, and it’s kind of what I do,” Shook said of drawing the penalty. “We were kind of coming out at the same time, but I tried to kick the ball kind of hard and away from him so he’d collide into me.”

The referee quickly pointed to the spot as Genadiev stepped up to take the penalty shot.

Haunted by a saved penalty kick in the same spot at Sparks Stadium against Mercer Island last year, Genadiev calmly delivered a strong strike to the right side to give his squad the opener.

Niki Genadiev’s penalty-kick goal in the 30th puts No. 2 Shorewood boys soccer ahead of No. 11 Bishop Blanchet in the state semis.

It’s 1-0 Shorewood at the half, Stormrays looking for their second straight class 3A state final appearance.@HeraldNetPreps pic.twitter.com/QrD4qyS5xC

— Qasim Ali (@qasimasports) May 30, 2026

“I don’t think I was ever fazed from last year; I just kept my head up,” Genadiev said. “That moment (last season) doesn’t define me; there’s always another chance.”

In the 49th, the Bears nearly flipped the game on its head as a header from a deep free kick hit the crossbar.

An attacker managed to strike it off the ricochet with Nye out of position from the first shot. Senior George Clark didn’t miss a beat, saving the shot off the line with a swift header.

“It was pure luck,” Clark said. “Whenever the goalie makes a save, I just go back to cover him.”

Butler gave his teammate some more credit.

“He’s always in the same spot… he knows where to be,” Butler said.

The Stormrays nearly doubled their lead a few minutes later when Genadiev’s counterpress netted him the ball deep in Bears territory. He faked a shot to drop one defender and unleashed a shot from eight yards away, but narrowly missed.

Despite light training this week, the intensity of the game was catching up to some of the most crucial Stormrays. Bruno limped off the pitch in the 71st, as Genadiev was forced to do the same.

With Lord, a UC Davis commit, already out of the lineup, starting striker Kai Ayers went down in the 76th as Shorewood clung to a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later, a turnover at midfield led to a quick counterattack. Junior Max Ames wasted no time, launching a shot from deep with the keeper off his line to level the game.

“It was very difficult, because we’re two minutes away from winning the game, and to concede in that way is frustrating,” Butler said.

With key penalty-takers like Genadiev, Bruno and Ayers sidelined, the two five-minute overtime periods breezed by.

Late in the second overtime, Warner consulted Bruno.

“I’m like, ‘Oh boy, who do we put there?’ And I just asked him, and Bruno was like ‘Listen, I can go in, but put me in very late because I probably can’t run,’” Warner said.

Sure enough, Bruno, a Colorado School of Mines commit, came on and delivered a no-nonsense strike down the middle from his usual lead-off spot.

“This is my senior season. I don’t want to go out watching my team in a pen shootout when I know I’m in the top five,” Bruno said.

With their leader burying the first and Smith’s preparation leading to the only save of the shootout, the Stormrays earned themselves a 24-hour breather ahead of a grudge match with the No. 1 Islanders after Butler’s finishing blow.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Clark said of playing Mercer Island for hardware once again. “In games like that, skill matters, but at the end of the day, it’s just who plays harder.”