Wolves shock Thunderbirds in physical first-round game

SHORELINE — South Kitsap spoiled the Shorewood boys soccer team’s first state playoff appearance in six seasons with a 1-0 victory Tuesday night at Shoreline Stadium in a fiery first-round clash.

The Thunderbirds controlled possession from start to finish and outshot South Kitsap by a considerable margin, but none of their attempts were on target.

Robbie Robinson netted the lone goal from 15 yards out in the 34th minute off a pass from John VanGeelerken for the Wolves, who advance to face Juanita in the quarterfinals.

“Early on we had some great chances,” T-birds coach Drew Thompson said. “I felt we dominated play in the first half and most of the second half. We just couldn’t finish our chances.”

Shorewood forward Eric Sather got free for a one-on-one just four minutes in, but his shot hit the crossbar. Late in the second half the T-birds weren’t able to convert two free kicks deep on South Kitsap’s end of the field.

The action was heated throughout and tempers flared on more than one occasion. South Kitsap’s aggressive play resulted in several yellow cards compared to one for Shorewood.

“I didn’t expect it to be that physical,” Thompson said. “They definitely were fouling us hard tonight. Our guys played through it pretty well, but when you’re getting fouled that much it’s bound to frustrate you.”

Shorewood ended its season 11-5-3.

“It’s been a great season for these guys. They battled all year,” Thompson said. “Nobody gave us much respect early on, so for us to get this far, you’ve got to be nothing but proud of these guys.”

Shorewood clinched its state berth with a 2-1 win over Mariner in a Northwest District 4A loser-out contest May 14 at Goddard Stadium.

“It was a game of intensity,” Thompson said. “The first half, you’ve got to give Mariner credit. They came out hard with a lot of intensity and took it to us, quite frankly.

“The second half was a different game. The second half, I thought, was all us.”

The Marauders took 13 shots in the first half compared to only one for the T-birds, who got 10 saves from goalkeeper Reed Renfrow.

When Mariner midfielder Ken Mishima scored five minutes into the second half, it appeared that the Marauders had finally broken the dam. Mishima’s shot was the 16th for Mariner and Shorewood had taken only one.

The lead lasted only five minutes, ending abruptly when Shorewood’s second shot of the game tied the score. Blake Bernhard settled Drew Mack’s throw-in and drove a shot just wide of Mariner goalkeeper Brandon Larsen’s dive to make it 1-1.

From that point, the momentum shifted.

The T-birds took the lead for good in the 60th minute on their fourth shot of the game.

George John redirected Mack’s throw-in through the defense into prime territory. Johnny Bruce ran interference and let the ball go through just before sophomore Chris Morris tapped it in for an easy goal.

“Johnny Bruce ran through kind of as a decoy,” Morris said. “I just came in and cleaned it up.”

Herald writer Aaron Coe contributed to this report.