Archbishop Murphy boys soccer advances to district semis

EVERETT — With the first half winding down, Zach Mohr had a chance to put Archbishop Murphy boys soccer in a great spot against Anacortes in the District 1 2A quarterfinals on Thursday.

The senior had already put the Wildcats ahead 1-0 by scoring on a free kick earlier in the half, and after junior Kyler Phillips drew a foul on Anacortes goalkeeper Brian Falen in the 18-yard box, Mohr had the opportunity to double the lead with a penalty kick. He scored five penalty kick goals this season, shooting almost exclusively to the left side.

That tendency was no secret. His senior teammate Paul Holeman mentioned to Mohr that he overheard some of the Anacortes players talking about the goal Mohr had scored in their 2-1 loss to Shorewood on April 30.

“I was like, ‘Okay, so they watch our film,’” Mohr said. “I know that they know where I go, so I just went the other way.”

Sure enough, Falen dove fast to protect the left side of the net, expecting to meet the shot there. All he could do was turn and watch it sail into the right side of the net as Mohr ran to the corner flag and rested his arm on top. This was just another day at the office for him.

With a 2-0 lead heading into halftime, the No. 2 seed Wildcats (12-2-2) never let off the gas pedal and cruised to a 3-0 victory over the No. 7 seed Seahawks (9-7-2). Archbishop Murphy will face No. 3 seed Squalicum at Western Washington University in the semifinals on Saturday.

It’s playoff soccer time.

No. 2 Archbishop Murphy (11-2-2) hosts No. 7 Anacortes (9-6-2) in the District 1 2A Quarterfinals.

The Wildcats will either advance to the semifinals in Bellingham on Saturday, or drop into the consolation bracket.

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Even in the decisive victory, Archbishop Murphy left a lot on the table, missing a handful of chances either just wide or well over the crossbar in each half.

“We could have had six goals tonight. I told the kids, just get it on frame. But you know, you get excited, right?” Wildcats coach Terry Ryan said. “That last (miss) almost defied physics going over the goal. But these are great kids. I love coaching them. I love being at this school. It’s a great community, and we’re just so grateful.”

Missed shots aside, there was little doubt about which team was in control after the first few minutes.

Once Mohr made it 1-0 with a free kick from the top of the box midway through the first half, the Archbishop Murphy captain said he felt the energy pick up, which carried the team forward.

The penalty kick came after Phillips chased down a ball flying towards the Anacortes box, and Falen left his line to punch the ball out of danger with both fists. He succeeded, but the follow-through collided with Phillips and knocked him down. Despite fierce protests from Seahawks coach Ross Ramsdell and the Anacortes players, the Wildcats received their penalty kick.

“I’m going up for the ball, not really looking,” Phillips said. “And I don’t know, the goalkeeper just comes out and kills me.”

The halftime whistle blew shortly after Mohr made it 2-0, and Archbishop Murphy picked up right where it left off in the second half. The Wildcats dominated possession, while the back line rarely let the Seahawks create any chances, which made things easier on senior goalkeeper Cameron Ilgenfritz.

“Defense was just really stable today, and we played a lot better,” Ilgenfritz said. “We improved a lot practicing, and definitely our communication. I saw our center backs talk a lot more today, so big improvement.”

The Wildcats got another boost with 28 minutes left when Anacortes senior Riley Walgamott received a yellow card for shouldering Archbishop Murphy senior Corvan Lara off the ball along the right sideline, which turned into a red card after Walgamott said something indiscernible from the sidelines to the official.

With the Seahawks down a man in the field, the Wildcats scored their third goal a few minutes later, this time Phillips dribbling up the left side before slotting a shot into the low corner.

“I feel like they just start to get mad, and then we just start to have more fun,” Phillips said. “And then that always leads to more goals.”

In a win that restored the group’s confidence after ending the regular season with the aforementioned Shorewood loss, Archbishop Murphy is one step closer to winning the district tournament and qualifying for state, where Ryan says anything can happen.

In his first season leading the program, Ryan is back to where he first started his high school coaching career as an assistant more than 20 years ago. He wants to take this full-circle ride as far as it can go this year, but has made sure the team stays in the moment.

“Our coach tells all of us, he just says, ‘One game at a time,’” Mohr said. “You win a game, you’re onto the next game. … We don’t really look ahead. We kind of look for whoever our next opponent is. We look forward to that game because it’s one game at a time, so you got to win.”