EVERETT — The Shorecrest High School boys soccer team struck an early blow Tuesday night.
Both on the scoreboard and in the standings.
Shorecrest produced a comprehensive victory in an early Wesco South crunch match, defeating the Jackson Timberwolves 3-0 at Everett Memorial Stadium.
The Scots bossed the midfield, particularly during a dominating first half in which they took a two-goal lead. Now, with the league switching to just one league game per opponent this season, Shorecrest (2-0 league, 8-1 overall) gained the upper hand on one of its main rivals.
“This is a huge game,” said Shorecrest senior co-captain Garrett Musar, one of a trio of Scot midfielders who controlled the game. “This could be the game for Wesco, this or Shorewood. This is big time. We’re really proud of this win. We wanted to come in and do this and we did just what we set out to do, so we’re happy.”
Jackson (1-1, 7-2) had no answer for Shorecrest’s two target forwards, junior Eli Blauser and sophomore Glenn Paden. The duo confounded the T-wolves defense with their size and strength, fending off defenders and winning every ball in the air. Blauser finished with two goals, and the ever-dangerous Paden forced a Jackson own goal.
But midfield is where the game was truly won. Shorecrest flooded the middle of the field, allowing the trio of Musar, senior Jeremy Novack and junior Michael Harris to dictate the game in the first half. Those three won the 50-50 balls and used crisp, simple passing to keep Jackson chasing the play.
“They were playing three in the middle and we didn’t have a solution for it,” Jackson coach Brett Norton said. “That’s mostly my fault because I didn’t train my team properly enough the last couple days to help defend that. I knew they were going to come out with that and they took advantage, they really beat us down with that.”
Thanks to those three Shorecrest outnumbered Jackson in midfield 3-2 and was able to control play from the start, opening the scoring 11th minute. The T-wolves were unable to clear a corner kick, allowing Shorecrest’s Musie Ghebremichael to control the ball on the right side of the penalty box and hook it back across the goal. Blauser, waiting in front, volleyed home from short range to make it 1-0.
The Scots nearly doubled their lead just two minutes later on another corner kick, but Paden’s diving header hit the underside of the crossbar and somehow stayed out. Shorecrest did get their second in the 35th minute when, on the break, Harris chipped the ball forward into the box. Paden and Jackson defender Tommy Ellis went up for it together, and the ball glanced off Ellis and past T-wolves goalkeeper Eric Hodel, giving the Scots a well-deserved 2-0 halftime lead.
“Our game is all about possession,” Shorecrest coach Drew Thompson said in praising his team’s first-half display. “We want to control the ball and build the ball up, that’s the way we score goals, and I thought we did a good job of that.”
In the second half Shorecrest switched to a more conservative formation with just two in central midfield, and the game evened out. The T-wolves had a golden opportunity to get back into it six minutes in when Tye Hastings picked the ball off Shorecrest sweeper Nick Terrel got a breakway. However, Scots goalie Eric Baker raced out to the edge of the box to block Hastings’ shot attempt, and Devin Mendiola’s drive on the rebound whizzed just wide.
Both teams had further chances to score, but it was Shorecrest that found the net one last time in the final minute, Blauser getting his second after chasing down a long clearance.
The victory takes on a greater significance than past seasons because, with the addition of Glacier Peak, the Wesco South scaled back just nine league contests this season. But Norton sees opportunity despite the loss.
“It’s very significant — in a positive way for us because it shows us we’re not all we thought we were, including myself,” Norton said. “It just shows them this is what we’re going to see in the playoffs, so by getting taken advantage tonight by Shorecrest, it gives us a positive motivation to train a lot smarter and a lot harder.”
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