On Thursday, the Meadowdale boys soccer team accomplished something it hadn’t done for five years: beat Glacier Peak.
Two days later, the Mavericks had a chance to do something else they hadn’t done for five years: earn a state berth. Standing in their way was Marysville-Pilchuck. The two teams had met twice before this year, with the Mavs winning 2-1 in the regular season and the Tomahawks prevailing 1-0 in the first round of districts. This was the rubber match: winner to state, loser out.
It was a decisive 3-1 victory for the Tomhawks Saturday at Shoreline Stadium. Fabian Panduro-Galvin scored the opening goal in the 28th minute when he received a through ball from Vaughn Fahlman, dribbled through the defense, and slid a low shot past Mark Steinke. Sebastian Navarro made it 2-0 in the 51st minute when he smashed a bouncing ball from the top of the goal box. Caleb Galvan scored the final goal in the 74th for the Tomahawks on a strange play. The Mavericks were scrapping for a comeback and left only two defenders back in case of a counter. A Marysville-Pilchuck midfielder stole a pass and then sent a through ball up to Galvan, but the defenders thought they brought him offsides. The assistant referee raised his flag to signal offsides but then pulled it down and let the play continue. Galvan went on a breakaway by himself and easily scored to make it 3-0. In the 76th minute, Meadowdale’s Thomas Redd knocked in a cross from Griffin Over to make it 3-1. Marysville-Pilchuck moves on to state to play the No. 2 seed from District 2.
The Tomahawks got the first chances of the game. In the third minute, Navarro took a free kick from 40 yards out and sent a low shot to the far corner. Steinke punched the ball out of bounds. On the ensuing corner, Gavin McDougall set up Yobani Munguia for a shot but he hit it high.The Mavs came back in the sixth minute when Austin Panek sent a low cross into the box that Redd got a foot on and goalkeeper Ryan Spiva knocked the ball out of play. Three minutes later, Over sent in a cross that Panek got a header on but sent wide. On the counter, Navarro found Fahlman in the box with a through ball and he tried a weak shot that Steinke saved. After this, it was all Meadowdale for the next 18 minutes. In the 12th minute, Tristan Springer hit Colton Davis with a pass into the box and Davis attempted a left-footed shot that went over the net. Four minutes later Panek sent in a low cross that Springer ran into while sprinting towards the net. Somehow, Spiva deflected the ball out of bounds with his leg. The ensuing corner kick by Smith was headed wide by Springer. In the 21st minute, Redd tried a cross into the box that Panek got a head on but Spiva once again made the save.
Finally, in the 28th minute, the Tomahawks came back on the counter in a big way. Fahlman sent a lob over the Maverick midfield and to Panduro-Galvin as he was streaking down the side. Panduro-Galvin cut in to the box, got past the defense, and sent a low shot into the right corner of the net past Steinke to make it 1-0 Pilchuck. The Mavs immediately tried to counter by Smith’s corner kick into the box was low and easily cleared. The Tomahawks almost made it 2-0 twice in the 37th minute. First, Spiva took a goal kick that flicked on to Panduro-Galvin. He got into the box and tried to beat Steinke the same way he did before but Steinke came up with the save. Then, Siloe Galvan sent a cross into the box that Steinke got to but lost and Baruc Galvan recovered the ball inside the box. He sent a drop pass to Panduro-Galvin but Taylor Linton blocked a couple of his shots before the ball was cleared. Just before the end of the half, the Mavs almost tied the game. Linton took a throw in and sent the ball into the box. It bounced out to Smith and he tried a low shot that Spiva saved. Marysville-Pilchuck took a 1-0 lead into half time.
In the second half, Spiva was replaced in net by Kole Bradley-Kuk. Bradley-Kuk was much more aggressive and came out to challenge any ball that went into the goal box whether it was a cross or a breaking forward or a through ball, he was there. It prevented a lot of chances for the Mavs from coming to fruition. In the 45th minute, McDougall took a short corner kick back to Cristian Correa-Avila and he tried a shot to the top corner that Steinke saved. Back the other way, Springer flicked a header on to Redd into the box and Redd headed the ball on net. Bradley-Kuk made the save. The Mavs had a lot of possession for the next five minutes but it would be the Tomahawks who scored next. A poor clearance attempt from the Maverick goal box bounced to Navarro at the top of the box. He didn’t even attempt to settle the ball and instead blasted a scorcher past Steinke to make it 2-0.
Five minutes later, Navarro sent in a cross that Panduro-Galvin got a head on and sent on net. This time, Steinke punched the ball off the crossbar and out of play. After that, the Mavs started playing desperate. In the 63rd minute, Smith tried to mimic Navarro and hit a one-timer at the top of the box off a poor clear, but the ball went wide. Three minutes later, Springer almost surprised Bradley-Kuk with a 40 yard shot but it was saved. Behind the play, Fahlman was given a yellow card for a late challenge. In the 69th minute, Craig Elder sent a through ball up to Davis. He attempted to dribble around the defense but settled for a shot from inside the box that Bradley-Kuk punched wide. On the ensuing corner, Smith’s cross was headed on net by Over. The shot beat Bradley-Kuk but a defender got a head on the ball and hit it over the bar. The next corner kick from Smith was cleared.
The Mavs continued to pressure. Springer got into the corner and then sent a cross back to Smith. He attempted a low shot from 25 yards that Bradley-Kuk saved. The Tomahawks put the game out of reach in the 74th minute. With the Mavs desperate, they left just two defenders back to defend a counter. A through ball was sent up to Caleb Galvan just past midfield and past the defenders, who thought the play was offsides and was initially signaled as such by the assistant ref, but he put his flag down right away. Caleb Galvan continued his run uninterrupted and scored on the breakaway to make it 3-0. Two minutes later, Over sent in a cross that Redd got a foot on and directed past Bradley-Kuk for the only Maverick goal. In the 78th minute, Smith took a corner kick that Alec Norton got a head on but Bradley-Kuk made the save.
Meadowdale’s season is over after the loss, but it was the best season in five years.
– By Quint Turner
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