SNOHOMISH – Be afraid, be very afraid: Nearby there lurks a fearsome three-headed monster that seemingly cannot be restrained.
A trio of scary-good offensive showmen – Taylor Cochran, Brandon Kelley and Brandon Crutchfield – struck again for the Snohomish Panthers Tuesday night. At least one of them played a part in their team’s first four goals as Snohomish built a 3-0 lead and drilled the Gig Harbor Tides 5-1 in a loser-out, first-round Class 4A state boys soccer tournament game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“I’m real impressed,” said Gig Harbor coach Todd Northstrom, whose team also fell against Snohomish in the first round in 2004. “They’re better than they were last year.”
Undefeated in its previous 14 games, Snohomish (16-1-1 overall) plays Roosevelt in a state quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday at Veterans Stadium.
Cochran, a University of Washington-bound senior, and Kelley, a sophomore, both scored twice for the Panthers, who have outscored opponents 77-10 this season. Crutchfield added an assist. The three offensive threats have fueled Snohomish all season.
“It’s nice,” Kelley said of playing alongside Cochran and Crutchfield, “because I don’t have the pressure on me just to be the only guy to go out there and score.”
Snohomish jumped on Gig Harbor from the start, taking a 2-0 lead in the first 14 minutes. Kelley made it 1-0 just 110 seconds into the game when he headed in the ball after Kaleb Stevens’ shot caromed off the cross bar. Twelve minutes later Cochran converted a give-and-go play from the heart of the box off a feed from Crutchfield. Before the game, Snohomish set a goal to score in the first 15 minutes, Kelley said. The Panthers doubled their objective with time to spare and set the tone.
Gig Harbor, the District 3/4 No. 5 seed, ended its season with a record of 16-3. The Tides won the Narrows League Bridge Division championship. Last week they lost to District 3/4 No. 1 Bellarmine Prep, considered a state title contender along with Snohomish. After facing both teams, Gig Harbor’s Northstrom said he would pay to see the talented squads clash. Asked who he thinks would prevail, Northstrom said “If I’m going with size, strength and intensity, I’m going with Snohomish.”
In the National Soccer Coaches Association of America high school poll released Tuesday, Snohomish is ranked No. 1 in the region and Bellarmine (Tacoma) is No. 2. The teams could meet June 3 in the state semifinals.
Snohomish placed third at the 2004 4A state tourney and has made seven consecutive appearances at state, including a first-place finish in 2000.
The Panthers kept the ball in their offensive zone much of the first half. They out-shot Gig Harbor 14-7 through 40 minutes and carried a 2-0 lead to the locker room.
Snohomish keeper Daniel Carlson, filling in for ineligible starter Ryan Riley, held up well against the Tides’ first-half attack. Carlson, a junior making his second career start, stopped four shots in the opening half. His most impressive save came in the 19th minute when he dove to his right to snare a Gig Harbor header.
Not wanting to give Gig Harbor a shred of hope, Snohomish made it 3-0 less than three minutes into the second half when Cochran scored from 15 yards out off an assist from Kelley.
Gig Harbor finally answered when junior forward Ricky Sosa scored from 18 yards to make it 3-1 with 35:50 remaining in the second half, but Kelley retaliated 90 seconds later. Kelley’s second goal of the game, which came from 15 yards and just outside the left hash marks, made it 4-1.
Jeffrey Dickison buffered Snohomish’s lead to 5-1 when he scored with 8:24 remaining.
At Snohomish
Goals-Gig Harbor: Sosa. Snohomish: Kelley 2, Cochran 2, Dickison. Assists-Snohomish: Crutchfield, Kelley. Goalkeepers-Gig Harbor: Placentia. Snohomish: Carlson, MacArthur. Records-Gig Harbor 16-3 overall. Snohomish 16-1-1.
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