Submitted by Brett Paul.
Out of the 16 teams that comprise the NW and SeaTAC 1B/2B soccer leagues, we found ourselves playing for the Bi-District championship against island rivals, the Orcas Vikings. The hype around this game was pretty immense: two island teams playing on the big stage, we’ve played twice this season already, each beating the other one time before. In our first game against them, we beat them 1-0 in overtime. The second game we found ourselves neck and neck scoring back and forth 4 times within 20 minutes in the first half before Orcas clinched the victory with a 60th-minute PK, winning 3-2. This set the stage for what would be a riveting 80 minutes between both teams in this championship game.
The championship took place this past Saturday at Sammamish High School. Orcas got ahead 1-0 with a cross-goal pass and a really nicely placed shot by Vikings #1, Sam Sutton. Wolverines #7 Colby Border won the ball in a scrum at the half and broke free, finding #8 Owen’s feet. Owen maneuvered efficiently down the right side then crossed the ball into Orca’s box to #6 Alden Carli. Alden brought the ball down to his feet, broke free of his defender, and found the corner net, equalizing the game. The score remained 1-1 through the end of regulation and 2, 5-minute halves of overtime. We went to PKs where both goalies Luke Totten and Paxton White had some incredible saves, going 8 rounds and each team being in a position to clinch the game at different points in the shootout. Cole Curtis, our 8th shooter, buried his PK confidently followed by our goalie, Luke Totten, making an incredible diving save to finish the game with a final score of 6-5. It’s the first time in our program’s history to win a district title. It was a pretty fun moment to share with the team who have worked so hard to get here – and really fun to share the moment with our fans and the rest of the community who have supported these guys all season long. The win also puts us in a good position as we go into the state tournament.
#7 Colby Border had an outstanding game at fullback and we consider him the man of the match – stopping many of Orcas’s advances into our half and having a notable presence in our offensive play. He plays with a lot of heart and fire which was exactly what we needed to win that game. Each one of these wolverine players though, whether they played every minute, just a few minutes, or didn’t get a chance to play in this past game, has had a profound impact on the success we’ve seen this season.
The celebration is brief as we prepare for some tough opponents ahead. Our next game is a state quarter-final game where will face Puget Sound Adventist. It will be held at Sedro-Woolley HS with a noon kickoff on Friday, Nov. 11. We have to win this to advance to the final four, a four-game series to determine the state champs and the top four 1B/2B teams in the state held in Renton Stadium on Nov. 18 and 19.
We’d love for the community to come support in person! Tickets can be purchased at gofan.co. Alternatively, fans can sign up on our 2022 Wolverine Soccer Families Facebook page to watch the games live from there. The final four will be broadcasted on the NFHS network as well.
