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closein the redzone: Soccer matches have proved to be memorable
Shaun Scott
Postseason sports contests seem to bring out the best in the athletes partaking in athletics, especially on the soccer field.
Despite being eliminated from the West Central District playoffs after losing to Bellarmine Prep 2-0 on May 10, the Emerald Ridge Jaguars will never forget their performance in a loser-out contest against the Kentlake Falcons. Goalie Kevin Weeks blocked four Kentlake shots and nailed the game winner himself in the shootout, giving the Jaguars a dramatic victory in a shootout on May 7.
Following Weeks’ final stop in the goal-box, the entire Emerald Ridge Jaguars squad made a beeline for their goalie, celebrating an improbable victory.
The Jaguars weren’t the only soccer team in East Pierce County to win a contest in dramatic fashion.
In the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs, the Puyallup Vikings hosted the Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks in a loser-out contest at Sparks Stadium. After 80 minutes of regulation and two five-minute overtime sessions, the game remained knotted at one goal apiece. In the shootout, Puyallup nailed all of their attempts. Puyallup goalie Kyle Bilharz blocked Marysville defender Brian Nobach’s shot (which was their second one), diving on the ground to the right side, spraying the ball away from the back of the net setting up a dramatic finish for the Vikings.
After Marysville-Pilchuck forward Jordan Salcedo scored his teams’ third goal of the shootout, the Tomahawks had one last chance to keep their hopes alive when forward Ryan Wilson uncorked a sizzling shot that ended up being the final shot of Marysville-Pilchuck’s season. Wilson’s booming elevated line drive kick sailed over the crossbar and the Vikings preserved a 4-3 victory in the shootout, advancing to the second round of the state playoffs.
As the entire Puyallup team rushed the field congratulating Bilharz for sending the Vikings on to the next round, I couldn’t keep myself from thinking about the significance of what had just occurred. Not only did the Vikings keep their hopes of a state title alive at the time, that moment at Sparks Stadium on May 13 is something each of those players will remember for the rest of their lives.
Junior forward Justin Veltung, who scored the Vikings’ lone goal of the game in the first half, praised Bilharz for stepping up for his team when they needed it the most.
“Kyle came through for us,” Veltung said. “He never lost his composure and he kept his head which is very important in a shootout. They didn’t score once on him and we made our shots. That was the difference.”
It’s not very often high school sports teams host a round of the state playoffs at their home facility. Puyallup’s victory on their home turf in the shootout reminded me of the movie “Mighty Ducks.” The pressure was on and in the end the Vikings reigned supreme in front of the hometown crowd.
It was something they will never forget and definitely is something I will store in my memory bank for years to come.