Lake Stevens soccer coach Scott Flanders finally got to say the words he had been waiting to utter for four years.
“Congrats guys. State time,” Flanders, head coach of the Lake Stevens High School boys soccer team, said to his players after the top-seeded Vikings earned a spot in the Class 4A state soccer tournament for the first time since 2006. They did it by scoring three second-half goals in an impressive 3-0 victory over the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors on May 10 in a 4A District 1 battle at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Junior forward Nic Rowe bounced back from a rough first half and finished with two goals (44th minute and 65th minute) and one assist for Western Conference North Division champion Lake Stevens (14-2-1). Junior defender Mark Russell assisted on Rowe’s goals and senior forward Vasily Bogdanoff also scored (55th minute) for the Vikings, who will play Marysville-Pilchuck (12-4-1) for the district championship at 7:30 p.m. May 14 at Veterans Memorial. Wesco North No. 2 seed M-P beat South No. 1 seed Jackson 2-1 on Monday.
After a few up-and-down seasons, Lake Stevens is thrilled to be back to the 16-team tournament. Friday’s district title game will determine seeding for state.
“We’ve been on a real rollercoaster since (2006),” Flanders said. “We’ve kind of had some down years and missed the playoffs one year (over the past eight seasons).”
“We basically rebuilt the whole program,” he added, “and based it off of being a good teammate — hard work and doing the right thing. It’s just an outstanding group of guys. Their character is unbelievable.”
The Vikings’ skill is pretty astonishing too. In addition to scoring three goals, Lake Stevens shut down E-W on the other end with stout defense. Central defender John Gleason and goalkeepers Tanner Eney (first half) and Michael Pierce (second half) led the way.
“It feels pretty good,” said Gleason, a junior. “We worked hard for each other and it shows on the field. It just starts with great defense.”
Tested often, junior Erik Whitney (six saves) was the goalkeeper for Edmonds-Woodway (10-6-1), the Wesco South No. 2 seed. It plays Snohomish (11-5-1) in a May 11 loser-out game. Snohomish overcame a 2-0 deficit late in the second half and beat Monroe (9-7-2) 3-2 in a loser-out game on Monday at Veterans Memorial.
E-W and Lake Stevens played a fast-paced, entertaining first half that featured at least 16 shots — but no goals — and three yellow cards (two for Lake Stevens). Although it didn’t score, Lake Stevens had two agonizingly close calls, both involving Rowe.
Midway through the half Rowe took a quick, short corner quick from Tanner Sellars and had a direct look at the goal mouth from 25 yards. But his low kick sailed wide of the left post. Knowing he missed a great opportunity, Rowe raised his hands and clutched his head in frustration.
About nine minutes later, with 10:30 to go in the half, Rowe got another chance. This one was from close range. Following a perfectly placed pass from Josh Otusanya on the left side, Rowe one-timed the ball from deep in the middle of the penalty box. But, once again, he misfired, kicking the ball too high and over the crossbar. A couple minutes later he received a yellow card for getting in the face of an E-W player and went to the sideline.
The second half was a different story for Rowe, who regrouped and broke through with a pair of goals and an assist.
“I have a different mentality than everybody else,” said Rowe, “and I just know that if I keep pushing it my skill will push me through.”
Mike Cane writes for the Herald of Everett.
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