Mavericks rally to beat Warriors

Meadowdale showed some resiliency in its showdown with district rival Edmonds-Woodway.

The Mavericks scored two unanswered goals in the second half to defeat the Warriors 3-2 in a Western Conference South Division boys soccer game April 11 at Edmonds Stadium.

The victory was Meadowdale’s fourth out of its last six games with the other two contests being scoreless ties against Kamiak and Shorewood.

The biggest difference Mavericks coach Sean Griffin has noticed is with his players’ attitudes. Meadowdale is starting to come together as a team.

“We’re doing better and better. … I’m not so concerned about the wins and losses as I am consistently playing the game that we want to play,” Griffin said. “The kids have to really focus mentally and be disciplined to do the things we want to do as a group as a team on the field.”

Senior Ryan Olson gave Meadowdale a 1-0 lead off an assist from Jacob Schmitt six minutes into the game before the Warriors stormed back with back-to-back goals by Max Doolittle at the 33- and 42-minute marks to take a 2-1 lead. Senior Jordan Correa then tied the score off an assist by Sam Werner at the 55th minute and Olson booted what turned out to be the game-winner off an assist from Spencer Walior at the 61st minute mark.

“They outworked us, especially in the last 30 minutes of the second half,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach Tony Gilman. “They worked hard for it.”

The loss was the Warriors’ fourth in the last five games.

“It’s been a struggle,” Gilman said of his team’s 3-5-2 league record. “The kids have kept a good attitude about it.”

All four of Edmonds-Woodway’s recent losses have been by one goal.

“We’ve been in every game. The scores could have been in our favor,” Gilman said. “We haven’t been able to put a finger on it. … We haven’t been blown out of anything.”

Meadowdale’s biggest victory over the season so far might have been a 1-0 decision over Jackson on April 9. The Timberwolves defeated the Mavericks 4-1 earlier in the season. Lukas Thompson scored off an assist from Jack Gold at the 55th minute. Senior Neketa McDonald recorded the shutout.

Jackson had entered the game with only one loss and Griffin believes this game may have been a turning point for the Mavericks.

“There was some pretty rough play out there,” Griffin said. “Both teams were really fighting hard. We had a lot of opportunities but we struggled to finish. That’s kind of been our thing. We have a pretty reasonable defense. We’ve struggled to get the goals. We created a bunch of opportunities but didn’t finish. We finished the one that mattered.”

The Mavericks finished better against the Warriors and Griffin appreciated his team’s ability to come from behind.

“Their defense is really sound,” Gilman said of Meadowdale. “They’ve got one of the best goalkeepers in the league.”

Since moving Olson up front, the Mavericks’ offense appears to be much improved. Schmitt and Walior both play key roles in the offense, said Griffin, who added that Thompson and Luke Dempsey have helped anchor the defense along with Werner.

“We’ve had a number of kids step up and do a great job. I’ve been pleased with the whole group,” Griffin said. “I like the character developing with these guys.”

Edmonds-Woodway needs to shore up its defense, Gilman said.

“We’re giving up too many goals. We’re not giving up too many shots,” Gilman said. “We have eight, nine, 10 a game. The kids are not happy about it. They’re working hard to correct it.”