EDMONDS — The stakes couldn’t have been much higher for the Edmonds-Woodway boys soccer team.
The Warriors needed a win Monday night to cap an unbeaten regular season and clinch the program’s first league championship in 20 years.
A game Everett squad had other thoughts in mind as it attempted to play spoiler, but ultimately the Warriors wouldn’t be denied in their pursuit of conference glory.
Ben Hanson scored the equalizer with 4 minutes left in regulation, Kincaid Sund headed in the golden goal in double overtime and E-W secured the Wesco 3A/2A title with a 4-3 victory over Everett at Edmonds Stadium.
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“We’ve cemented our legacy,” Hanson said. “We’ll get a plaque in the gym, something that hasn’t been there in a long time. It’s just really exciting.”
The victory came in what turned out to be a must-win scenario for the Warriors (14-0-2 overall, 14-0-1 league) to win the title after Shorecrest defeated Shorewood in a game that started 30 minutes earlier in the evening.
First-year Warriors coach Jason Hanson said the sideline found out about the Shorecrest-Shorewood result in the final minutes of regulation.
“We knew we needed to win this game,” Jason Hanson said. “A tie wouldn’t do it, so to end it in overtime here in front of the home crowd is fantastic.”
Edmonds-Woodway’s Victor Ibarra flicks the ball up in the air while being defended by Everett’s Stephen Post during the game Monday in Edmonds. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Although the players on the pitch didn’t know the results of the other game, Ben Hanson said he could feel pressure mounting as the Warriors trailed 3-2 late in the second half.
“I know personally that I was just running after the ball,” he said. “We needed to score. We needed to win. There was a lot of desperation going on.”
The senior forward allowed his team and the E-W crowd to breathe a collective sigh of relief with his game-tying score in the 76th minute. He battled for control of the ball in a sea of Everett defenders and found a way to slip a shot past a diving attempt from the Seagulls’ keeper to tie the game at 3.
Everett (6-9-0, 6-9-0) had a prime chance to secure its upset bid early in the first overtime period with a clean look from near the net, but E-W keeper Gabriel Wilhelm was in good position and kept the game going with a save.
Ben Hanson centered a free kick from just outside the box off the right corner in the 87th minute and Sund connected in front of the net for a header to win it and send his teammates sprinting to the sideline for a jubilant celebration in front of the home crowd.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Kincaid Sund (8) and teammate Alex Plumis celebrate beating Everett to end their regular season undefeated on Monday in Edmonds. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“We stuck together as a team and pulled through,” Ben Hanson said. “I’m just pure joy right now.”
Victor Ibarra and Antony Cesar scored goals and Richard Duncan and Edgar Cabrera chipped in assists for the Warriors. Wilhelm had six saves.
Stephen Post, J’aiden Cranwell-Meneses and Nussrat Nussrat netted goals and Abdala Hassani had an assist for the Seagulls. Goalkeeper Jase Caveny-Marty posted 11 saves.
Everett gave E-W all it could handle despite falling behind in the 2nd minute after Cesar corralled a loose ball off a corner kick and netted the opening score.
Hassani lofted a free kick in front of the net and Post connected with a header to tie it in the 14th.
The Warriors responded in the 29th with Ibarra heading in a deep cross from Duncan for a 2-1 advantage.
Cranwell-Meneses rifled in a deep shot in the 49th to tie it, which marked the first time all season E-W allowed multiple goals in a match.
Everett’s Nussrat Nussrat celebrates his goal during the game against Edmonds-Woodway on Monday in Edmonds. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Seagulls nearly took the lead during a scramble in front of the net soon after and ultimately went up 3-2 on Nussrat’s boomer from deep in the 63rd.
“We needed to be tested,” Jason Hanson said. “I think that now that we’re in districts and hopefully we make it to state that every game is gonna be a challenge, and we needed to feel this adversity. … This is a great experience for us.”
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