SNOQUALMIE — The Glacier Peak boys soccer team is sporting Mohawk haircuts in this postseason as a statement of team spirit and unity.
The Grizzlies are making a statement on the field as well.
Glacier Peak won its second straight road playoff game on Friday night, blanking Mount Si 2-0 in a quarterfinal contest before a large, noisy group of Wildcats fans.
The Grizzlies used an early first half goal from senior forward Jackson Miller, a late second half goal by junior midfielder Gregor Troost, and the flawless play of junior goalkeeper Andrew Weakly to advance to the Class 3A state semifinals.
“This is a phenomenal atmosphere and that was a quality team,” Glacier Peak coach Shannon Murray said of Mount Si and its crowd. “So for us to come in and get an early goal, and then defend well and counter in the second half, and then get our second goal, I couldn’t be more ecstatic about what we did.”
“Obviously, this feels amazing,” Miller said. “To come into their house, take them on and beat them, and with the amazing fans they had, it’s phenomenal.”
To win on the road in soccer, it’s always a good idea to score first. And the Grizzlies did exactly that with a goal in the game’s 10th minute as senior midfielder Brian Holguin lofted a ball to Miller out in front of the net.
The pass was placed perfectly, and Miller needed only to gather the ball, shake one defender and he was one on one with Wildcats goalkeeper Ryan Herman. It was no contest as Miller blasted the ball into the left side of the net for an early 1-0 lead.
“We’d heard through the scouting report that (the Wildcats) were susceptible to playing early balls over the top,” Murray said. “So we talked about that … Brian is a quality player and I don’t even think he looked. He just whipped that ball in. I couldn’t have asked for a better ball.
“And then Jackson with a great first touch and a calm finish, (despite) a great goalkeeper staring at him. Yeah, the composure level is phenomenal.”
The early goal stunned the Wildcats and their fans, but only briefly. Mount Si stepped up its offensive pressure, yet Weakly and his defensive teammates were up to the test. They turned away the home team time after time, including the Wildcats’ best scoring chance of the night when a shot went just wide of the net in the late moments of the first half.
Glacier Peak put the game away in the 77th minute. Miller stepped around a defender and came in from the left side before slipping the ball to his brother, junior forward Shane Miller, in front. Shane Miller’s shot caromed off Herman and right to Troost, who rocketed a shot into the back of the net.
The victory was the second straight playoff shutout for Glacier Peak following Tuesday’s 2-0 win at North Kitsap.
“This is not an easy place to play,” Murray said. “But we didn’t panic. We just did what we had to do. I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
Playing on the road, and in a raucous setting, might intimidate some teams, but not the Grizzlies, Weakley said.
“As a team, we thrive in an environment that some would say is hostile,” he said. “In our huddle, that’s what gets us ready to go. Knowing there’s going to be 300-plus kids out here booing us, that’s what gets me ready to play. For me, it’s even better than playing at home.”
The victory advances Glacier Peak to a semifinal matchup against the winner of today’s Capital-West Valley (Yakima) game in Yakima.
“It’s always tough on the road,” Jackson Miller said. “But the last few games we’ve been playing phenomenal as a team. We’ve been knocking it really well.”
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