By Dan Sargent
Herald Writer
EVERETT – Decatur’s 43-game unbeaten streak is still intact, barely.
Decatur, the defending state champion, claimed a 1-0 victory over Auburn-Riverside in the seventh round of a shootout to advance to the Class 4A boys soccer state championship game.
Decatur goalkeeper Kyle Bressler stepped up big, blocking four of the seven Auburn-Riverside penalty kicks. Bressler stopped the third, fourth, fifth and seventh kicks, outdueling Gatorade’s state player of the year and University of Washington bound Chris Eylander. Eylander had his hands on four of the shots but only came up with two saves.
“Chris Eylander is the best keeper in the state,” Bressler said. “I knew I had to come up big.”
“I thought if we got to a shootout we were going to win,” Auburn-Riverside coach Dave Winter said. “They made one more shot than we did and give a lot of credit to Bressler. He guessed right to make the saves.”
Decatur will try to go for back-to-back undefeated seasons and state titles against Lewis &Clark at 7 p.m. tonight at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Decatur, a heavy favorite to repeat as state champion, was held off the scoreboard by Eylander and the Ravens’ defense. Decatur’s biggest threat, Alex Chursky, who is one of 32 players from across the country invited to play in the McDonalds All American game, was kept in check by Ravens sweeper Caleb Inman. Inman was playing with a torn ligament in his thigh.
“Auburn-Riverside deserved it as much as we did,” Decatur coach Jimmy McAlister said. “We’re glad to sneak out of here with a win. Tomorrow you should see a whole new team as it will be a long bus ride home.”
“They had picked me up during the season, so I knew I had to pick them up,” Bressler said of his team’s performance.
4A semifinal, Lewis &Clark 1, Kentwood 0: Vince Jansen scored in the 76th minute on a 25-yard rocket that went into the upper right corner of the net.
Goals-Lewis &Clark: Jansen. Goalkeepers—Kentwood: Reichert. Lewis &Clark: Warren. Records-Kentwood: 17-4 overall. Lewis &Clark 16-2. |
3A semifinal, Sehome 2, Hanford 0: The Northwest League will have a state champion. Sehome knocked off Hanford to set up an all-Bellingham final against cross-town league rival Squalicum at 5 p.m. today. Hanford will meet Camas for third-place at 11 a.m.
“It’s kinda wild,” Sehome coach Jonathan Fleck said of playing Squalicum. “If you told me at the beginning of the season that two Bellingham teams would be in the final I would have said ‘Yeah right.’”
Pat Doran curved a 20-yard free kick around the Hanford wall into the lower right corner of the goal in the 65th minute to put the game out of reach.
“Anytime that kid gets the ball he can be dangerous,” Fleck said.
Connor Carroll put in the open net a goal in the 36th minute off a Doran mishandled cross by Hanford’s goalkeeper Greg Staeheli to give Sehome a 1-0 lead at the half.
Goals-Sehome: C. Carroll, Doran. Goalkeepers-Hanford: Staeheli. Sehome: B. Carroll. Records-Hanford 14-10 overall. Sehome 16-2-3. |
3A semifinal, Squalicum 1, Camas 0: The Squalicum defense made a first-half goal by the Storm’s Gabe Hoggarth stand up for the final score and sent the Camas Papermakers to the third-place game.
Squalicum’s defense was outstanding, as Camas (19-1 overall) trailed for only the second time this season and suffered its first loss of the year.
“That was probably the strongest team we’ve faced this year,” said Squalicum coach Andy Donahue, who shaved his head and painted a bright blue soccer ball on the back of his skull and blue thunderbolts above each ear. “They created chances and lucky for us none of them went in.”
The game was marked by extremely physical play by both teams. Squalicum’s leading scorer Briddick Webb was hit in the head and a gash just above his right eye opened up in the first half. He was forced to miss about half of the game because trainers could not keep the cut closed.
Camas was led by forward Dan Macaya, who had a handful of shots glance off the crossbar of the Squalicum goal.
“He had explosive speed, you turn around and he’s gone,” said Squalicum defender Spencer Morgan, who shadowed Macaya the entire game. “I just tried to contain him and wait until he made a mistake.”
Squalicum is eager to face familiar cross-town foe Sehome today for the state championship.
“This is a dream scenario for us,” Morgan said. “We know their style. There will be more than a state championship on the line when we play.”
Goals-Squalicum: Hoggarth. Goalkeepers-Camas: Bennett. Squalicum: Jarvis. Records-Squalicum 17-3 overall. Camas 19-1. |
2A semifinal, Connell 2, Othello 0: Connell is back in the championship game for the second straight year. Connell will play Elma at 3 p.m. in today’s final. Othello, which finished third last year, will play for third place against Lynden Christian at 9 a.m.
Connell’s Michael Velasquez scored on a deflected shot by Milkar Bucio, whose try went off the legs of a Othello defender.
Connell’s Brian Hayes scored on a tap-in off a Hoah Hathaway 35-yard free kick that dropped in behind the Othello defense in the 14th minute.
Goals-Othello: Connell: Hayes, Velasquez. Goalkeepers-Othello: Brault. Connell: Chairez. Records-Othello 16-5 overall. Connell 17-4-2. |
2A semifinal, Elma 2, Lynden Christian 0: Elma used two set plays to defeat Lynden Christian. Santiago Churape headed the ball past Lynden Christian goalkeeper Aaron Bogaard off a Rusell Jones 30-yard throw-in. The goal was in the second minute of injury time in the first half. Jones added a header goal of his own in the 41st minute off an Evan Valentine corner kick to put the game out of reach.
Goals-Elma: Churape, Jones. Goalkeepers-Elma: Cox. Lynden Christian: Bogaard. Records-Elma 17-2 overall. Lynden Christian 15-6. |
Herald Writer Chris Beatty contributed to this report.
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