TACOMA — Something had to give.
A pair of Class 4A soccer powers, teams that have been regulars in the state quarterfinals over the past 10 years, clashed in the first round Tuesday night, meaning one team’s season was ending earlier than usual this year.
After 80 minutes of regulation and two overtimes, it was Snohomish experiencing the early exit as Bellarmine Prep escaped with a 2-1 victory at Mount Tahoma High School.
Snohomish, the 2000 and 2006 state champion, has been to state 11 times, and before Tuesday, the Panthers had never suffered a first-round loss. Bellarmine Prep, the 2004 champ, has enjoyed similar success. The win over Snohomish is the Lions’ 10th first-round win in 11 appearances going back to 1997.
Bellarmine Prep controlled the tempo for most of the game and had far more scoring chances, but at the end of regulation, the score was still tied at 1-1. The Lions scored the winning goal in the 88th minute when senior defender Elliot Morton, the tallest player on the field, headed a free kick from Tyler Mernaugh past a diving John MacArthur.
The good news for Bellarmine Prep is that in the two prior years these schools have met in the state playoffs, the winner — Snohomish in 2000 and Bellarmine Prep in 2004 — has gone on to win state.
“For sure it was different than a normal first-round game,” said Bellarmine Prep coach Joe Waters, whose team faces Olympia in the quarterfinals. “If you look at the history of these games in the past, the team that went through has gone to be pretty successful. The two programs are of the highest standard and we have great respect for each other.”
Bellarmine Prep (19-1) suffered its only loss this season while on a spring-break trip to Ireland. The Lions were ranked fifth in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas national rankings, while the Panthers, who finish 13-4-1 were ranked 16th.
Tuesday’s first-round match between state powers was set up by Snohomish’s loss to Shorewood in last week’s Northwest District championship game.
“You come down here and play against the number one team in the region, and you know you’re in for a battle,” said Snohomish coach Dan Pingrey, whose team had won the previous four district titles, setting up first-round home games. “I wanted to see these guys in the finals because I knew it would be this kind of a game. But unfortunately we put ourselves in this situation.”
Waters said he told his team before the game that set pieces would be the difference, and indeed they were. Mernaugh, who had the assist on the winning goal, also set up the game’s first goal with a long throw-in in the 23rd minute. That ball was headed by both John McDonald and Morton, setting up an open-net opportunity for Scott Hanson, who scored from point-blank range to make it 1-0.
Snohomish answered in the second half, tying the score in the 47th minute when Thomas Sheets headed in a perfect cross from Aaron Burns.
At Mt. Tahoma H.S.
Goals—Bellarmine Prep: Hanson (Morton) 23rd minute. Morton (Mernaugh) 88th minute. Snohomish: Sheets (Burns) 47th minute. Records—Bellarmine Prep 19-1 overall, Snohomish 13-4-1.
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