MARYSVILLE — It was quite a turnaround for the Lakewood boys soccer team. After losing to Burlington-Edison 5-1 in the first non-league game of the season, the Cougars found themselves ahead of the Tigers 2-0 into the second half of Thursday’s 2A District 1 play-in game.
The trouble for the Cougars was that Burlington-Edison had a turnaround of its own, rallying to beat Lakewood 3-2 in a shootout at Dick Cardinal Stadium.
“It’s never the way anyone wants to end it,” first-year Lakewood coach Bryce Barker said. “We had a chance to take it on the field and we just couldn’t put it away.”
One of the big factors on a night that began warm but ended cool and blustery was the sun and wind. Both adversely affected whichever team was shooting at the stadium’s west end. The Cougars led 1-0 playing with the wind and sun at their backs, but were outscored 2-1 when they switched sides.
By the time the shootout began, the players’ shadows stretched 20 yards with the shooters disadvantaged, aiming into the sun.
Sam Johnston gave the Cougars a lift, saving the first attempt off the foot of Nathan Haddock. After Mason Brisben netted Lakewood’s first attempt, it looked once again like the Cougars might advance to play Sehome on Saturday in the opening round of the 2A District 1 playoffs.
“That’s what we say, ‘Guys all we gotta do is get one save,’” Barker said.
But B-E converted its four remaining attempts while the Cougars — after Josue Rivera made it 2-1 — got an unlucky bounce off the post followed by a shot straight at B-E keeper Hunter Torset.
That set up Carlos Suffert, who blasted the winner straight past Johnston for a 4-2 shootout edge. The other Tigers mobbed Suffert in front of Johnston who stared in disbelief after his team gave up two leads. It was Lakewood’s third loss in four shootouts this season.
“It’s hard to know if you are going to pull it out when you are down, but we’ve beaten these guys before and I knew we could pick it back up,” B-E’s Torset said.
Despite taking the loss in goal, the 6-foot-2 Johnston was the biggest reason Lakewood even made it to this game. In the first match between these teams, the Cougars used a 5-foot-4 keeper. Barker quickly recruited his senior keeper to step in. Johnston, who also played football, hadn’t manned the nets since he was a youth.
“Sam makes a world of a difference,” Barker said, adding that the one teaching area the staff didn’t get a chance to spend much time on during the season was shootouts.
Johnston weathered B-E’s attack from the outset and kept his team in the game throughout regulation and the two overtimes.
Burlington-Edison kicked off and came out with more energy in the early going, but it waned as the Tigers stared into the setting sun.
The Cougars asserted themselves as the first half progressed, scoring the game’s first goal. After the Tigers cleared a Lakewood run deep into their own territory, Brandon Ochoa trapped the ball at the 40-yard line and let a blast fly off his right foot.
Torset could only flail his arms as the shot found the top of the net in the 31st minute. Torset later said he had difficulty tracking the shot due to the sun.
After halftime, the Cougars wasted no time getting on the board again, this time in the 41st minute after a Tiger foul. Brisben set up the free kick from 50 yards out and lofted the ball into the middle of the box where Sean Hackworth was waiting, facing away from both the sun and the goal.
Hackworth used his head to flick the ball backwards toward the middle of the net, giving Lakewood its 2-0 lead.
The Tigers were down but steadily clawed back into the game. Mario Flores-Batista split two defenders and crossed up Johnston in the 51st minute to get B-E’s first score.
Six minutes later, Diego Soto found the speedy Bryan Granados uncovered and the freshman netted the equalizer.
For the remainder of regulation, the Cougars struggled while playing into both the sun and the wind. Lakewood had consecutive corner kicks at one point in the second overtime, but couldn’t score, setting up the shootout.
It was the final game for 12 Lakewood seniors, only two of which played for the team a year ago. Barker was disappointed with the loss but satisfied with his team at the end of his first campaign.
“Our seniors coming out and working their butts off,” Barker said. They put everything out there that they could.”
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