Shorewood boys soccer clinches first state semifinal in 11 years

SHORELINE — In a second, the No. 1-seeded Shorewood boys soccer team saw their dreams of a state title slip away. Bellevue keeper Nick Matty made a spectacular diving save on the sixth team attempt from Shorewood sophomore Morgan Grutz, putting the Wolverines one make away from a win. The collective groan that swept over a Shoreline Stadium crowd all too familiar with playoff heartbreak turned back into rabid excitement as the referee signaled that Matty had left his spot too early.

Grutz slammed in the re-kick with the same shot he had been blocked on just a minute prior, and after the No. 8 Wolverines skied their seventh attempt, the excitement turned into the glee of a win.

Bellevue skies it and it’s over! The Stormrays are off to Puyallup to play in the final four. pic.twitter.com/yvMXkwwXtL

— Qasim Ali (@qasimasports) May 24, 2025

The gratification associated with not only winning his first state game as Shorewood skipper on Thursday, but now clinching the program’s first state semifinal since 2014 was clear on Shaun Warner’s face as he addressed his squad postgame. But before sending his guys out onto the pitch before penalties, Warner had just two thoughts.

“I usually just tell them I love them, and they played a great 90-minute game of soccer. And then I just tell them, ‘trust where you want to go and just hit it … don’t overthink,’” Warner said.

Even through all the emotional swings of a scoreless match, the Stormrays managed to have fun in a tense shootout.

Sophomore defender Caleb Butler mistook a signal from the referee as a handshake, laughing on his way back to midfield. Junior Meiron Bereket chirped with Matty before converting his penalty, as it all seemed to work out for the Stormrays.

They went 7-7 on their penalty shots after all.

The shootout was a jarring sight, considering not one goal was scored for the duration of the game. The respective backlines worked to snuff out chances, keeping possession in flux and Shorewood’s wings running. Bereket and Butler each had countless plays on the ball, stealing possessions way before they could develop into danger downfield.

But pairing a defensive masterclass with the heat of a cloudless 70-plus-degree day forced Warner to constantly rotate through midfielders and forwards depending on situations and visible fatigue.

Sophomore Christian Costello came into the game during throw-in situations, as the defender was able to launch the ball into the box a few times. Junior forward Kai Ayers was playing in his first game back from dealing with an injury and saw limited minutes as forwards Julian Shook and Bobby Lamb consistently subbed in and out.

“The way that both defenses were working, we needed the forwards to press and play high-intensity,” Warner said. “We wanted them to chase and work their tail off, and then next guy up.”

“(Midfielders) Isak (Medhaug) and (Daniel) Bruno are the heart of our team, and man, do they work. But yeah, let’s just say they’re going to get a couple days off, they’ve earned it.”

Senior star forward Matthew Bereket did his share of running, creating separation in isolation against a stingy Wolverines backline in the first half. But time and again, Bellevue would overwhelm Shorewood’s forwards by blocking potential shots on goal and even deflecting a free kick with its wall in the first half.

As time dwindled in the game, both teams started to get some solid looks.

Shook leaped for a header in stoppage time right in front of the goal, but narrowly missed the left post by a few feet. As the second overtime came to a close, the Wolverines missed an uncontested look off a volley from around 10 yards out, sending one Bellevue forward to his knees in exasperation.

Ultimately, the Stormrays, through a mixture of depth and mental toughness, pulled it out.

Shorewood’s opportunities to make history are far from over, though — the Stormrays haven’t won a semifinal game at state since 1980. They’ll match up with No. 12 Ingraham next Friday at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, as No. 5 Silas and No. 2 Heritage have already been eliminated. Although some of the expected competition has exited state early, the Stormrays are focused on getting the job done against anyone.

“At (this) point, it doesn’t matter what team we’re against,” Meiron said. “We’re gonna go into the same mentality we have, don’t matter who we’re against … work hard for yourself, work hard for your teammate.”

Meiron had just one thought on how the Stormrays could improve logistically for what should be another exhilarating match next Friday.

“Score some goals. Simple as that.”