By Quint Turner

Seeking revenge for last year’s loss in the first round of districts, the Maverick boys soccer team came out dominating the Scots in the first half of the 3A Wesco South match Thursday night.The Mavs controlled the tempo, had great ball movement and were generating lots of chances. But they went into the half down 1-0. The Scots were fired up in the second half, dictating pace, keeping ball possession over 50 percent of the time, and setting up open shots. But the Mavericks tied the game up. Both goals came off of penalty kicks, with Callum Wijelath scoring his in the 9th minute, and Chris Prasanna in the 69th.

Evan Lee started in goal for the Mavs while Miles Yates stood opposite for the Scots.

The Mavs started fast. In the seventh minute, they earned a corner kick that Taylor Linton put over the forwards streaking in. They kept the ball in the Scots’ end for a few more minutes before Wijelath was sprung on a breakaway. He took a bad touch as he got into the box, and it looked like Lee took the ball without incident. However, a Maverick defender had held onto Wijelath as he lost control, and the referee called a penalty kick.

Wijelath put it to the opposite side of the diving Lee to give the Scots a 1-0 lead. The same minute, Prasanna had a great chance when he stole the ball right from the feet of a defender and stroked a shot that was saved by Yates. Nine minutes later, Mitch Hatzenbeler took a pass from Prasanna and one-timed a shot from the corner of the box that was deflected by Yates off the post and out. Then, in the 22nd minute, Justin Crichlow flicked a header inside the box just over the goal. The last chance for the Mavs in the half came in the 34th minute, when a corner kick by Linton got to Colton Davis on his weak foot, and he sent it wide 10 feet from the goal. The Scots went into the second with a 1-0 lead.

The Mavs had a great early chance when Hatzenbeler sent a free kick from 40 yards out that hit off the crossbar and landed on the wrong foot of Nils Odegaard, and the ball was sent wide. Will McCoy for the Mavs came hustling down the side in the 50th minute, and sent a low cross that was headed out by Alex Ramsey. Shorecrest came back the other way in the 53rd minute when Ryan Vanderveen hit a free kick to Alex Musar, and his shot in the box went wide.

It took until the 69th minute before either side got a chance. A harmless cross by Crichlow into the box was snatched by Yates, but the ball slipped out of his hands and Austin Panek was pulled down when he tried to get to the loose ball. Since it was in the box, a penalty kick was called, and Prasanna took it. He drilled it low corner, and tied the game 1-1. Shorecrest had two chances in the last minute when Morgan West took a 25-yard shot that just went high, and then hit a low cross into the box that was easily cleared by the Maverick defense as time expired. The game headed to overtime.

In the first five minutes of the 10-minute OT, there were no real chances to speak of. But in the second, Sam Schober and Lee chased for a loose ball in the box that Lee barely punched out. That led to a chance for Trygve Skogseth in the last minute, when he took a one-timer from 30 yards out that went high. The teams would finish tied 1-1.

With the tie, the Mavericks go to 1-0-1, and next play Monday at Shorewood, at 7:30 p.m. The Scots go to 1-0-1 as well, and play Monday at Lynnwood, at 7:30 p.m.

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