SHORELINE — Shorewood boys soccer coach Shaun Warner wanted to get senior Matthew Bereket on the field against Archbishop Murphy at Shoreline Stadium on Wednesday, but he did not want to break up the starting back line, which was protecting a 1-0 lead.
Warner had a decision to make regarding the outside back.
“Matthew is a really talented player, so I wanted him on the field,” Warner said. “So it’s like, ‘Okay, how do we not change our defense but get him in?”
The answer: Put Bereket in at forward. The conversation between coach and player was brief.
“[Warner] always says, ‘Go do your thing,’” Bereket said. “I said, ‘I got you.’ I just praised the Lord, and I went in.”
The decision paid off. Big time.
With around seven minutes left in the first half, Bereket found space in the middle, beat an incoming defender and smacked the ball past the Archbishop Murphy keeper to put Shorewood ahead 2-0, which ultimately served as the game-winner for the Stormrays (12-2-1 overall, 8-2-1 league) against the Wildcats (11-2-2, 9-2-1) in a 2-1 victory.
Final: Shorewood wins 2-1
After maintaining the majority of the attack thru the second half, the Stormrays hang on to win, giving themselves a chance to finish tied atop the Wesco South standings with a win in their final game against Meadowdale next week.— Joe Pohoryles (@Joe_Poho) May 1, 2025
The win keeps Shorewood in the mix for a share of the Wesco South 3A/2A title alongside the Wildcats, whose regular season ended with this loss. The Stormrays need to beat last-place Meadowdale (3-10-1, 2-8-0) on May 6 to do it, whereas a loss on Wednesday would have secured the outright title for Archbishop Murphy. Shorewood won their last matchup against Meadowdale 2-0 on April 11.
“It means a lot. It was actually one of our big messages tonight,” Warner said. “We have goals, and one of them was to win our conference. So we were able to do that tonight — except we still have to beat Meadowdale — so that was a good one for us.”
After losing 2-1 to the Wildcats earlier this season on April 4, the Stormrays were able to reverse the script. Warner attributed the difference to fielding a deeper, healthier roster this time around as well as being able to play with more space on their home turf, which he said is wider than Archbishop Murphy’s.
The Stormrays jumped out in front around 18 minutes into the game when junior Daniel Bruno connected with classmate Kai Ayers on a corner kick, with Ayers heading it in to make it 1-0.
“I think once it comes off your foot, it’s a feeling,” Bruno said. “You feel the contact, you feel the power, and you see the flight of the ball, and you know where it’s going. I knew it was good as soon as I kicked it, and my boy Kai went up there and got it, so I appreciate that guy. Good, hard work to get that going.”
Once Bereket entered the game, he had to shake off some nerves. He has experience playing all over the field, so the transition to a different position was not a big deal for him. The biggest challenge was the pressure of the moment.
“Because it’s an important game, I went in nervous,” Bereket said. “But we did a team prayer and that’s what also brings us together and calms our nerves down, and we go into it together and we come out together, and that helps us all.”
Shorewood’s Matthew Bereket celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal during the game against Archbishop Murphy on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
As soon as he stepped onto the field, he was “electric,” according to Warner. Bereket’s goal made it easy to shake off the nerves, but it also proved to be much-needed. Archbishop Murphy cut it to 2-1 just one minute later, with Wildcats captain Zach Mohr hitting a stunner from the left side of the 18-yard box into the top right corner.
The Wildcats nearly tied things immediately after the halftime break, with sophomore Jason Angel getting his foot on a centering pass one minute in, but Shorewood goalkeeper Ivan Genadiev came up with the save.
After seeing Archbishop Murphy control most of the play and beating Shorewood in the midfield for the first 10-15 minutes of the second half, Warner shifted the formation to include more midfielders, which nullified the problem and allowed the Stormrays to get back into the attack while also protecting the lead.
Archbishop Murphy’s Zach Mohr takes a shot on goal during the game against Shorewood on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Genadiev made a sliding kick save with under six minutes to go, which eventually led to a chance on the other end with Bruno firing a shot over the crossbar with 4:57 left. A couple of minutes later, Bruno nearly had another assist on a corner, this time setting Bereket up with a header, but the Wildcats made the stop.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter. The Stormrays held on for an important win, keeping their league title hopes alive while also giving them valuable experience in a playoff-like atmosphere.
“I think today was a big day in terms of playing at intensity,” Bruno said. “I think getting under that stress of having a good offense running at our defense — and trying to break down a good defense — is great. I think we’ve grown through this year, so I think we’re playing the best soccer we ever (have) this year, so I’m really excited for the playoffs because I think we’ve shown that we can play at this level.”
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