By Quint Turner

Going into the last 20 minutes of Wednesday night’s Meadowdale-Lynnwood boys high school soccer match, it looked like the Mavericks had the Royals dead to rights, being up 1-0 on a Chris Prasanna PK goal. But the great hustle from the Royal’s Boston White on a through ball drew a foul just inside of the penalty box, even though goalkeeper Patrick Gove got to the ball first. White not only drew the PK, he converted it for the score.

The momentum was then on Royal’s side for the next seven minutes, culminating in a 40-yard shot by Luis Mendoza that caught Gove off guard and went in to give the Royals a 2-1 lead. The Mavs fought incredibly hard in the last 10 minutes, almost resulting in a goal, but the goalkeeping of Jose Del Rio didn’t allow it.

The first started with a corner kick from Mitch Hatzenbeler that got cleared by the goalie and went the other way for a shot by White that was saved by Gove. Then the Royals kept pressuring. Momoduo Drammeh got open for a shot at the top of the box in the sixth minute that was deflected high at the last second by Gove. Then Drammeh hit a one-timer off a corner that also was saved and hit out by Gove. The Mavs countered with a shot from Drew McCoy at the corner of the box that went high. In the 15th minute, a low shot from Justin Crichlow from the top of the box was saved by Del Rio.

It took until the 27th minute for a good chance on either side. Taylor Linton took a corner kick that got to Crichlow for a header that was on net, but got cleared by Soren Steelquist on the goal line. It was in the 36th minute when the Mavs broke through. A Hatzenbeler through ball was recovered by Prasanna in the box, and he was brought down by the goalie as he tried to get around him, earning a penalty kick. Prasanna buried it, and the Mavs led 1-0. Prasanna got a yellow card in the 40th minute when he went up for the ball in the box as time expired and knocked over Del Rio. Del Rio was shaken up, but he was able to return in the second half.

The second half started with a Vihn Nham shot from 20 yards out go just over the goal and hit the football crossbar. In the 51st minute, Marco Granado took a low shot that was easily saved by Gove. More LHS pressure resulted in free kicks and shots that went high, but they eventually broke through in the 64th minute. Elder and White went for a through ball that got to the box, and Elder made sure White didn’t have a chance at getting to the ball by pushing him over. Elder was called for a foul inside the box (it was very close to being out of the box) and White took the penalty kick. He scored, and the game was tied at 1.

Lynnwood continued to pressure, and Nils Odegaard challenged a Lynnwood forward dangerously by sticking his foot out when he was beaten, and he got a yellow. The Royals took advantage by getting a few more shots that were either saved or high. In the 67th minute, Drammeh took a yellow card for pushing McCoy after Drammeh fouled Austin Panek, and McCoy said a few things to him after. Lynnwood still pressured, and once again scored in the 71st minute. Mendoza drove the ball from 40 yards out and at the side of the field that rose just as Gove was trying to catch the ball and went in.

The Mavs were not defeated, and they came back hard. They forced a few corners that didn’t score, but a free kick from 40 yards out almost resulted in one. Odegaard took the kick that was flicked on by Crichlow, and the ball got by Del Rio and the defense that looked like it would tie the game. Linton was following the shot to make sure it was going in, and he accidentally got an arm on the bouncing ball as he kicked it in, and the goal was waved off. A minute later, Hatzenbeler took a shot from just outside the box that was saved by a defender, but he used his hands. This set up another close free kick, but the play the Mavs tried was easily sniffed out and cleared. In the 79th  minute, a desperation shot from McCoy went high and wide, and the Royals won 2-1.

With the win, the Royals are 2-2, and play next on Friday, at home, versus Mountlake Terrace, at 7:30 p.m. With the loss, the Mavs fall to 1-1-2 and play next on Tuesday at Glacier Peak, also  7:30 p.m.

Sports correspondent Quint Turner is a sophomore at Meadowdale High School.