MONROE — Before Friday night, the Shorewood boys soccer team hadn’t trailed in a game so far this season.
After being behind 2-1 at the half, junior forward Jackson Smith kicked in the game-winning goal for the Stormrays in double overtime, keeping their undefeated season alive in what proved to be a league measuring stick for both teams.
With the 3-2 victory at Monroe High School, Shorewood improved to 9-0-0 on the year and 8-0-0 in league play, keeping pace with Edmonds-Woodway (8-0-1) for the top spot in Wesco 3A/2A.
“I thought Monroe played an incredible game, they were ready to play,” Stormrays coach Shaun Warner said. “It was just two teams fighting and we got a bounce go our way.”
Senior Reid Schaeffer lifted Monroe (4-3-2) to a 1-0 lead in the opening minute of play, putting Shorewood on its heels for the first time all year.
It took the Stormrays until the 10th minute to get a shot on goal. Junior Isaak Abraham converted his first of two goals off a penalty kick in the 21st minute to break the silence for Shorewood, tying the game at 1-1.
“Monroe had our number for a lot of that first half,” Warner said. “I’m so proud of them, we haven’t been down this season, so I didn’t know how we would respond to being down a goal. I thought they stayed patient and just trusted each other.”
Schaeffer delivered his second score at the 37-minute mark as the Bearcats led 2-1 at intermission.
“We knew it was going to be tight,” Monroe coach Korey Hope said. “They showed their quality with their players and they were more dangerous than we were for most of the second half … I think its a credit to their program and I know their hungry to prove something this year.”
Shorewood’s Atticus Benitz (21) moves with the ball during a game against Monroe at Monroe High School on Friday. Shorewood won in double overtime, 3-2. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Abraham nailed his second goal in the 65th minute to tie the game down the stretch for Shorewood, as the Bearcats held up defensively to force an extra five minutes.
A save with under 13 minutes to go in regulation, along with another with three minutes left in the first overtime, from senior keeper Dustin Jenkins kept Monroe afloat as the contest went into double overtime, but in the end it was Smith who sealed the deal for unbeaten Stormrays.
“They’re a great group of boys and they’re a quality team,” Hope said of Shorewood. “We like playing them, matching up to them, and seeing where the bar is in Wesco and where the standard is .. and they’re certainly that.”
We stuck to our plan and that made it a tight game and we have some things to learn from, so we’ll move forward with that.”
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