EDMONDS — In all of Edmonds-Woodway’s regular-season and district tournament games this year, midfielder Edwing Martinez had yet to score a goal for the Warriors boys soccer team.
He ended the drought in a big way on Tuesday night.
Martinez scored a pair of second-half goals in the space of eight minutes to erase a 1-0 deficit and lift Edmonds-Woodway to a 2-1 victory over Auburn Riverside in a first-round Class 3A state playoff game at Edmonds District Stadium.
The outcome moves the Warriors into the state quarterfinals for the first time in the 25-year coaching career of Edmonds-Woodway’s Tony Gilman.
“Their goal all season long was to win (the Wesco 3A) — we didn’t, but we were district champs, so that’s pretty good — and they also wanted to get past the first round (of the state playoffs),” Gilman said. “So they’ve met most of the goals that they set earlier in the season. Now we have to sit down and say, ‘OK, what’s next? Can we do more?’”
Martinez, a speedy senior, scored his first goal just past the midpoint of the second half. The Warriors had a throw-in in their offensive end, the ball ended up coming to Martinez in front, and he was able to turn and fire a quick shot into the net.
“I didn’t expect the ball, but I saw it, I shot it and it went in,” he said.
With about 10 minutes to play, Martinez got the eventual game-winner. A teammate delivered a long pass into space up the right wing and Martinez was able to outrun an Auburn Riverside defender for possession. After pushing the ball ahead, Martinez got to it ahead of the oncoming goalkeeper and was able to pop it past and on into the goal.
“I know I’m a little faster than the other guys and I took the chance,” he said. “I saw the keeper coming, I shot it and it went in.”
After failing to score in his team’s first 19 games, “I’ve been a little frustrated,” Martinez admitted. “But I think was the good chance to (break the drought), so I’m happy.”
Martinez is “a guy that we’ve been waiting to bring it all season long,” Gilman said. “It’s been a tough year for him, kind of up and down. He’s had some injuries and stuff. … But he was on top of his game tonight.”
Auburn Riverside, which reached the state 3A semis a year ago and had several returning players this season, gave the Warriors a great challenge. After a scoreless first half the Ravens scored the game’s first goal off a free kick from a left angle that hooked through a knot of Edmonds-Woodway players in front of the net and sailed past goalkeeper Grygoriy Lozynskyy.
Gilman said he had no idea how the shot got through because “there were a bunch of white (Edmonds-Woodway jerseys) there.”
With the victory, Edmonds-Woodway advances to face Garfield. That quarterfinal matchup will be played at 7 p.m. on Friday at Edmonds Stadium.
Going forward, Martinez said, “we haven’t won anything. We just have to keep working hard and we’ll see where we go from here.”
At Edmonds Stadium
Goals—Tannar Larson (AR), Edwing Martinez (E-W) 2. Records—Auburn Riverside 15-4-0 overall. Edmonds-Woodway 16-2-2.
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