LAKE STEVENS — Once the game had ended and the coaches had thought about it, both used the same words to describe the Wesco North boys contest between Lake Stevens and Marysville Pilchuck.
Evenly matched.
The score reflected that, with both teams scoring one goal en route to a 1-1 tie Tuesday night at Lake Stevens High School.
“It was evenly matched,” Lake Stevens head coach Kit Shanholtzer said. “…I thought it was eventful and exciting. It’s always fun to play Marysville.”
The Tomahawks struck first in the game, with a goal by Gunner Stohl in the 32nd minute. After MP worked the ball up the side, Ernesto Hurtado crossed it into the middle of the field. Stohl received the pass, and put it into the back of the net.
“We were struggling defensively at that point,” Shanholtzer said. “And it was a beautiful pass.”
Marysville Pilchuck held onto the lead for exactly six minutes, until the Vikings’ Peter Otusanya netted an equalizer in the 38th minute. Otusanya found the ball at his feet in front of the net and kicked it past the outstretched arms of Tomahawks’ goalkeeper Ian Beegle. Tanner Martell-Sellars assisted on the score.
Despite numerous chances on both sides, neither team scored the rest of the way.
“We had opportunities to score,” Shanholtzer said. “So did they.”
Marysville Pilchuck senior forward Anthony Johnson had a couple of those opportunities, especially in the first half of the match when the Tomahawks kept the ball on Lake Stevens’ side of the field most of the way. In the second half, Lake Stevens mounted a stronger attack on the MP goal with Otusanya leading the charge.
“Peter Otusanya is great at breaking through players,” Shanholtzer said. “He’s got a sticky foot.”
In the 69th minute, Lake Stevens had an opportunity to take the lead, when the ball was passed up to a Vikings forward who had broken past a Tomahawk defender. But he misjudged the ball — spinning the wrong way to look for it — giving Marysville Pilchuck an opportunity to clear the ball.
However, Lake Stevens got possession right back and took a shot on goal. Beegle dove to deflect the ball, and then jumped up to race a Lake Stevens forward to the rebound. The Tomahawks keeper jumped on the loose ball, near the out of bounds line, and grabbed the save as the Vikings forward slid in toward the ball, colliding with Beegle.
An MP defender got in his face as everybody stood up, and by the end of the exchange two Tomahawk defenders and the Lake Stevens forward were issued yellow cards.
The Vikings got the ball back six minutes later and — with less than five minutes remaining in regulation — got an open shot off just feet away from the goal. But the ball was kicked too high and sailed well over the crossbar.
Marysville Pilchuck got the ball for the first of two five-minute overtime periods and drove right up the field, almost scoring in the opening seconds. The Tomahawks and Vikings exchanged shots in the extra time, but neither were able to score a tiebreaker.
Shanholtzer said Lake Stevens — coming off a dramatic overtime victory against Mariner on Saturday — would’ve preferred the win, but were happy to earn at least one point with the tie. He said that every game, win or lose, is good experience for his team in the tough Wesco North.
“Mariner was a really big building block for us,” Shanholtzer said. “Here, with a tie, we were able to hold a point. We would’ve liked to win this.
“Every success and failure is a learning experience for us.”
On the other side of the pitch, Tomahawks’ coach Paul Bartley agreed with Shanholtzer’s assessment of the game, with an almost identical words after the game.
“I thought we were both evenly matched,” he said.
Bartley said that he was happy to leave Lake Stevens (1-0-1 league, 2-0-1 overall) — which with the tie remains undefeated this season — with at least a tie.
“On their field, we’re happy to come out of here with a point,” Bartley said.
With crosstown rival Marysville Getchell starting a boys soccer program for the first season, Marysville Pilchuck (1-0-1, 1-1-1) lost a few players to the Chargers. Bartley said that his team is still trying to figure out how good it’s going to be in this very young season.
The Tomahawks’ coach said a tie game against a quality opponent like Lake Stevens helps.
“This was a statement game for us,” Bartley said. “They split the school, and we didn’t know how good we were gonna get. Now we got some confidence. We just have to build on it.”
At Lake Stevens H.S.
Goals—Gunner Stohl (MP), Peter Otusanya (LS). Assists—Ernesto Hurtado (MP). Goalkeepers—Marysville Pilchuck: Ian Beegle. Lake Stevens: Brennon Countryman, James Tanner. Records—Marysville Pilchuck 1-0-1 league, 1-1-1 overall. Lake Stevens 1-0-1, 2-0-1.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
