SUMNER
King’s goalkeeper Sean Webb might have been the most relieved player on the field when Christian Friberg scored the winning goal with 48 seconds left in the state boys 1A soccer semifinal against Charles Wright Academy.
“I was thinking overtime, shootout,” Webb said. “We always find a way to win it late, but I was really thinking overtime and it was nice to see Christian put that in so we didn’t have to do that, because it’s really nerve-wracking.”
The King’s players recalled what the King’s girls went through in the state 1A semifinals last fall, losing in a shootout to Seattle Christian before taking third.
Instead, the Knights’ win May 25 set them up to play Highland, the defending 2A state champs, which beat Wahluke 2-1 in the other semifinal.
Charles Wright wanted to avenge a 1-0 loss to King’s in the 1A bi-district final May 12, but the Knights’ last-minute heroics put a stop to those hopes.
Friberg’s goal came out of nowhere since the shot was the only solid shot on goal in the second half against the Tarriers.
Freshman midfielder Ryan McCormick crossed the ball to Friberg who attacked from the left side, leaped in the air and booted it through from about 20 yards out.
“I was trying to hit it first time,” said Friberg, an exchange student from Denmark.
King’s dominated the first 10 minutes of the game, with three near-miss shots. But the Knights then went cold and Charles Wright gained the upper hand on offense, striking five shots in the first half and nine in the game.
Webb made five saves, denying several scoring opportunities that looked like a sure thing for Charles Wright. The closest call came in the 15th minute on a ball that got loose in the goal box and was inches from going in before the defense punched it out and Webb pounced on it.
“I really thought the one I hit the goal with was in but you know the defense was there to help,” Webb said.
Charles Wright’s star midfielder, Cody Costakis, had an open look from 10 feet out in the 29th minute but Webb again made the save.
Webb credited defenders Michael Kenyon, Alex Masaki and Sam Hauck for keeping the Knights in the game.
“They always play well. They’re consistent. That’s what I like about them,” he said. “I was lucky enough to get my hand on a few balls.”
King’s challenge was to contain the Tarriers’ midfielders.
“We tried to put more people in the midfield because we know they got that good player, number two, Cody (Costakis) … a really good dribbler, so we tried to stack the middle a little bit and tried to win the game in the middle,” Friberg said.
Charles Wright played without all-league center midfielder Marcus Berglund, who qualified for state in tennis as a singles player and was in Yakima at the state 1A tournament.
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