AUBURN — Playing Jefferson may have felt like looking in a mirror to Lake Stevens head coach Kit Shanholtzer, but the mirror finally shattered on the seventh kick of a shootout when the Raiders put one wide of the post and the Vikings moved on to the round of eight in the 4A boys soccer state tournament with a 2-1 victory.
After a scoreless first half, Lake Stevens took the lead early in the second half, but a Jefferson goal with about five minutes remaining sent the match into overtime.
Shanholtzer noticed the similarity of the two teams when he scouted Jefferson the previous Saturday. “I was really impressed with their play. … I feel like they play like we like to play.” Specifically, he noted that Vikings Jonathan Perry (No. 16) and his doppelganger (Jefferson’s No. 16) both play in the middle, win most of the headers and possess the ball well. “We were matching our Perry against the anti-Perry,” Shanholtzer joked.
Overall, the scouting was effective, according to Shanholtzer, but even with the preparation, the game proved difficult.
“When the rubber hits the road, the game was really tough. … I normally wouldn’t say it, but the officiating was fairly one-sided,” Shanholtzer said.
Specifically, the Vikings received six yellow cards, two of which went to Perry, who will have to sit out the next game according Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association rules. Shanholtzer said he would like to contest the yellows, which together function as a soft red card. But even if Perry has to sit, he is optimistic.
The Vikings are looking forward to the return of Peter Otsusanya and Jacob Baker, who were ineligible for game one, for the second round and he is confident in his players. “They stayed compact mentally. The kids overcame,” Shanholtzer said. “They worked for each other, they succeeded.”
At Jefferson H.S.
Goals—Jacob Scott (LS) 1, Jefferson not reported. Assists—Kyle Lawson (LS) 1, Jefferson not reported. Goalkeepers—Lake Stevens: James Tanner. Jefferson: not reported. Records—Lake Stevens 14-5-2 overall.
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