May 13, 2013 @ 2:03 pm
Mount Tahoma forward Brian Wambaa (left) tries to get his foot on a ball as Enumclaw's Caleb Gwerder clears it.
In their first playoff game in nine years, Mount Tahoma battled Enumclaw to a 1-1 draw for 90 minutes before falling 4-3 in penalty kicks to see their successful season come to an end on Saturday at Highline Memorial Stadium.
As has been the case all season, Kenyan forwards Brian Wambaa and Ian Karanja created scoring chances early and often for the T-Birds with their blazing speed and keen sense of connection up front.
“Me and Ian just play soccer a lot,” Wambaa said. “It just comes out on the field. Other people tell us that. We don’t even think about it, we forget about it sometimes.”
Wambaa almost had an open look in the 12th minute, chipping a shot past the keeper 15 yards from goal before defender Caleb Gwerder cleared it. The Hornets then got on the board a minute later, as Mount Tahoma keeper Jose Reyes deflected Chris Kraemer’s shot to the foot of Chase Olson, who sent it into an open net on the right side for a 1-0 lead.
But the Thunderbirds controlled much of the possession the rest of the half, getting several scoring looks but failing to equalize.
They finally tied it up in the 53rd minute with a bit of skill and luck, as Karanja flicked a ball over keeper Matt Leavens in front of goal before Darwin Wood drove it into his own net.
Karanja had two good looks in the extra-time periods but couldn’t find the net, sending the game to penalty kicks.
Kraemer – who switched into goal for Enumclaw at the start of the penalty-kick portion – dove to save Alexsander Gurmeza’s shot on the Thunderbirds’ second attempt, proving to be the difference for the Hornets. Karanja, Anthony Garibaldi and freshman Roberto Brito all converted penalty kicks for Mount Tahoma.
Mount Tahoma finished in second place in their inaugural season in the Narrows 3A this season, one year after finishing with just one league win in the Narrows 4A.
May 13, 2013 @ 1:33 pm
Wilson's Oswald Ramos (right) moves past Auburn Mountainview defender Brandon Henderson in the Rams' 2-1 win on Saturday.
Munassar Saleh’s goal in extra time gave Wilson a 2-1 win over Auburn Mountainview on Saturday at Auburn Memorial Stadium, punching their ticket to the 3A state tournament.
With the game tied 1-1, Saleh struck less than two minutes into the first golden-goal overtime period for his second goal of the match. The sophomore wing perfectly executed a give-and-go with junior forward Oswald Ramos, taking a pass, outracing the Lions’ defense on the right side and driving a low shot in between the legs of keeper Alex Fausko for the game winner.
“I gave it to (Ramos) and saw the space,” Saleh said. “Oswald is a great player. He saw me and gave it back right away.”
Auburn Mountainview had taken a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when Emmanuel Saah crossed up a couple of Wilson defenders and slammed a ball into the net from 20 yards out. Saleh helped the Rams begin to create chances on the outside, as his shot in the 25th minute was tipped just over the net by Fausko. But no one was going to stop Saleh’s strike in the 32nd minute, as he took a pass from 35 yards out, switched feet and drove a shot past a diving Fausko and into the right netting to equalize.
With the win the Rams are scheduled to take on Shorewood on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Mount Tahoma Stadium in the first round of the 3A state tournament.
May 11, 2013 @ 8:16 am
Just a quick reminder that the district soccer playoffs take place today, with three local squads in action. Here is a quick look at the schedule:
Mount Tahoma vs. Enumclaw, 11 a.m., Highline Memorial Stadium: The Thunderbirds are making their first district playoff appearance in at least nine years (from the records that I could find), and will look to use a late surge to make a run to state.
Stadium vs. Emerald Ridge, 12 p.m., Mount Tahoma Stadium: The Tigers will certainly look for revenge after the Jaguars knocked them out of district last year with a 2-0 win. Stadium will rely on its talented trio of Jacob Beardemphl, Max Harvey and Andrew Foreman.
Wilson vs. Auburn Mountainview, 6 p.m., Auburn Memorial Stadium: The Rams battled to a 3-3 draw against Shelton on Tuesday to earn the Narrows 3A top seed, and will look to get past districts after suffering tough late losses the past two years.
Look for blog recaps of the Mount Tahoma and Wilson matchups here later tonight!
May 11, 2013 @ 8:00 am
Wilson capped a solid three games at the Narrows 3A softball tournament with a 9-2 win over North Thurston on Friday afternoon to grab the league’s top seed to the district tournament.
Wilson took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Carsen Stanley doubled to score Julie Davis and Stephanie Granger followed with a single to plate Stanley. But North Thurston answered with two runs in the bottom of the second, including a game-tying single from Ashley Skillingstad.
The game stayed tied until the top of the fifth, when Wilson exploded for four runs. Kaysha Fox – who went 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored – led off with a single and later scored on an error, while Granger had a run-scoring single and Madisynn Scott added a run-scoring groundout later to make it 6-2.
That would be enough support for Granger on the mound, who allowed two unearned runs on seven hits in seven innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. Granger also finished 3-for-4 at the plate, with a run scored and two RBIs.
The win gets the Rams a first-round bye at districts next Friday at Sprinker Recreation Center, as they will play their opening game at 6 p.m.
Bellarmine Prep, meanwhile, suffered a tough 10-9 loss in nine innings to South Kitsap to settle for the second seed to districts.
Tied 7-7 in the top of the ninth, Alyssa McKiernan’s single got past the Wolves’ left fielder, scoring Alexa Ostrander while McKiernan was able to circle the bases to make it 9-7. But South Kitsap quickly erased the deficit in the bottom half, as Kayla Clausen scored Mackenzie Bergstrom on a fielder’s choice, Hannah Spohn tied the game with a single to score Alissa Buss and Haley Romo delivered a walk-off single to score Spohn.
The Lions came back from a 5-3 deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the fourth, as Alex DeStephano had a sacrifice fly while Rachel Sorensen and Ashlynn Ota later had run-scoring singles. After the Wolves followed with two runs in the bottom half to retake the lead, the Lions tied it 7-7 in the fifth when Becca Sorensen reached on an infield single to score Ostrander, who had tripled. With the loss, the Lions will take on the seventh seed from the SPSL next Friday at 10 a.m. at Sprinker.
May 10, 2013 @ 11:54 am
With two wins apiece at the Narrows League softball tournament yesterday, both Bellarmine Prep and Wilson find themselves battling today for the league’s top seed to the district tournament in 4A and 3A, respectively.
The Lions took a 7-2 win in a loser-out match against Central Kitsap in the first round yesterday, scoring six runs in the first two innings. Alyssa McKiernan, Alex DeStephano and Rachel Sorensen had two runs batted in apiece, and starter Courtney Schwan picked up the complete-game victory. The Lions then won 3-2 over Olympia in their second game, as Ashlynn Ota’s single to score Madison Covell in the sixth inning proved to be the game winner. Rachel Barcena pitched five strong innings to pick up the win for the Lions.
Bellarmine Prep will face South Kitsap at 3 p.m. today at SERA Fields, with the winner receiving the top seed to districts and the loser claiming the second seed.
Wilson, meanwhile, cruised to a 19-0 win over Mount Tahoma in their opener yesterday, assuring themselves a spot at the district tournament. They went on to pick up a 3-1 win over Timberline in the second game, setting up for a matchup against North Thurston in today’s championship at 3 p.m. at SERA. The winner takes the top seed to districts, while the loser is the second seed.
