By Quint Turner

Everett’s Sergio Barrera played the whole game Tuesday at his normal position: goalkeeper. However, when a late foul occurred on the Meadowdale side about 25 yards away from the goal, Barrera came up to take the kick. He drove the shot over the wall and past Evan Lee to get the Everett Seagulls back to within one. But it would not be enough as the Mavericks hung on, thanks to solid defensive play from Nils Odegaard and Justin Crichlow to win their third game of the year. Taylor Linton and Michael Truax scored the goals for the Mavericks.

Everett came out with some pressure. Two minutes in, Hector Rodriguez took a shot just outside the box that sailed high. Meadowdale came right back in the seventh minute when Griffin Over took a free kick on the MHS side, and he hit it all the way to the box, where Linton took the ball on a bounce and smashed a shot past Barrera to make it 1-0. Everett countered immediately with a through ball in the box to Rodriguez, and he hit a shot just high once again. Then a free kick 25 yards out and directly in front of the Meadowdale goal was taken by Garret Robinson, and he knocked it high as well.

The Mavs scored again in the 24th minute. Odeegard took a free kick 70 yards away from the Seagull goal, and the ball was hit by Chris Prasanna right to Truax seven yards away, and he knocked the ball in to make it 2-0. The Mavs almost scored a third when an Over shot from 30 yards out had to be punched over the net by Barrera to stop it. Everett had a good chance when a low shot by Travis Ahman was caught by Lee to neutralize the threat. Once again the Mavs had an opportunity to score when Colton Davis passed to Mitch Hatzenbeler just outside of the box. He took a strong shot that was barely saved by Barrera, and the half ended right after that with the Mavs leading 2-0.

Everett got the first chance in the second half when a free kick by Jonathon Martinez 30 yards out went off the football goalposts instead of the crossbar. Davis came back the other way in the 51st minute, as he got the ball across to Prasanna, who hit a low shot that was saved by Barrera. The Seagulls almost scored in the 54th minute, when a free kick 25 yards out was caught by Lee, but a Gull knocked the ball out of his hands and scored. However, it was deemed that Lee had complete possession, and the goal did not stand.

Three minutes later, Hatzenbeler took a corner that was headed by Crichlow to the corner of the goal, but Barrera made a diving save. Then Linton hit a  cross that bounced off Barrera and went right to Davis, but he hit it high when faced with the open net. In the 66th minute, Linton hit another cross that was headed by Austin Panek that was saved, and then Panek headed it again off the crossbar, and Everett cleared the ball. Everett tied it in the 74th minute when Barrera took a free kick 25 yards out and he hit it past Lee to make it a 2-1 game. The Mavericks were able to prevent any more scoring chances, and ended up with a big win.

With the win, the Mavericks are 3-5-1, and play again Friday at 7:30 p.m., at Shorecrest.

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