SHORELINE — In a match featuring two teams that hadn’t lost all season, the way the ball bounced made just enough of a difference on Wednesday night.
The Edmonds-Woodway High school boys soccer team handed Shorewood its first loss of the season as Alex Plumis’ 72nd-minute goal completed a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in a Wesco 3A/2A game at Shoreline Stadium.
“Sometimes, you’re lucky,” said Plumis, who scored E-W’s second goal of the final 20 minutes. “I saw it hit two or three guys, but it snuck by and that’s all that matters, really.”
Richard Duncan also scored for Edmonds-Woodway (10-0-3 overall, 9-0-3 league), which scored more goals Wednesday than the Stormrays had allowed in their previous 10 matches combined. Edmonds-Woodway coach Jason Hanson knew finishing chances would be crucial against a stingy defense, and he was pleased when he saw Plumis winding up to take a shot.
“He’s such a gifted player, and we haven’t unlocked his full potential,” Hanson said. “We like our chances when he has the ball at his feet in a scoring position.”
Jackson Smith scored for Shorewood (12-1, 11-1), which remained in first place in the league with 33 points — three ahead of Edmonds-Woodway with three games remaining in the regular season.
“They were extremely organized, and they blocked a ton of our shots,” Shorewood coach Shaun Warner said. “They got in front of a lot of good shots. Credit to them — they had a good game plan.”
Edmonds-Woodway had to weather the storm Wednesday. The way the Stormrays have played defense this season, one goal has proven to be a Category 5-level hurricane for most opponents. Shorewood dominated possession in the first half, and when Smith took advantage of a cross from Atticus Benitz 12 minutes into the second half and drove it into the E-W net for a 1-0 lead, it was an advantage that has been insurmountable most of the year.
But the Warriors’ offense finally found some chances in the second half. Duncan cashed one in by tapping the ball past the Stormrays to tie the score at 1-1 in the 60th minute. Both teams found opportunities in the final 15 minutes, but only Plumis proved able to break through.
“We weathered the storm,” Plumis said. “We knew we were feeling momentum before halftime. We started out a bit shaky, but we fought it out.”
As the Warriors walked off the field after the final whistle, the celebration appeared somewhat subdued. Both teams believed they will see each other again in the postseason.
“We have big goals for ourselves, so that one stings a bit,” Warner said. “It was humbling, but we’ll learn from it and move forward.”
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