Prep boys soccer: Warriors edge Hawks 1-0

Warrior Jeremy Langsted dribbles away from Hawk Gavin Scott (far left) in the second half.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Jeremy Langsted dribbles away from Mountlake Terrace’s Gavin Scott (far left) in the second half.

Both the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors and the Mountlake Terrace Hawks entered their Wesco League 3A boys soccer clash Monday after having leaned heavily on their defense in the early portion of the 2015 season. The Warriors had given up just two goals in their first three games of the year; Terrace had yielded only one.

Some had anticipated a single goal between the two rivals may be the difference when they met at Edmonds Stadium. They were right.

The match was decided by a lone goal late in the first half as E-W prevailed over Terrace 1-0.

Warrior senior Jose Aleman sped past a tired right side of the Hawk defense in the last minute of the first half and got off a shot from five yards out at what seemed like an impossible angle. Terrace goalkeeper Genaro Ruis got a hand on the hard-hit shot but couldn’t handle it. The ball glanced past Ruis and into the goal for the game’s only score.

“We let down in the last three minutes of the first half and that’s a crucial time,” conceded Terrace Head Coach George Dremousis. “You can’t give up games before halftime. We talked about it all season; you’ve got to play your hardest the last five minutes of the first half. We just didn’t do that tonight.”

“We didn’t play smart, we didn’t finish, and (Edmonds-Woodway) did. They played well,” Dremousis added.

The winning goal may have been inevitable as the Warriors controlled most of the first half play. Ruis was called upon to make a number of remarkable saves, including a diving stop in the 28th minute off another shot by Aleman. Another E-W scoring chance in the 34th minute required Ruis to fully extend and tip the ball over the crossbar for the save.

While Hawk Ruis made a total of 10 saves in the match, Warrior goalkeeper Griffin Small was tested only a couple times. Terrace’s best opportunity for a goal came in first half extra time off a shot by senior Alec Somers, but his low drive rolled wide of the left goal post.

E-W Coach Tony Gilman explained that the strong overall effort of his squad started on the defensive end. “I think, for us, it was the back four and the goalkeeper,” he said. “We knocked the ball around and we pretty much negated everything they tried to do offensively.”

Warrior Jack Blahous is confronted by Terrace's Ryan Dunne (far left).
Warrior Jack Blahous is confronted by Terrace’s Ryan Dunne (far left).

Gilman also called the victory a “team effort,” noting he had to switch up his line-up around some due to an absence on his squad. “One of our starters is in Cabo for spring break,” he said.

While disappointed with the loss, Dremousis was still impressed with his young Terrace goalkeeper. “He’s a really good player, especially for a sophomore,” the coach said of Ruis. “You just don’t see that many young keepers make the type of saves he does. And that’s all his off-season work. He’s been working really hard in the off-season.”

Terrace dropped to 3-1-0 in league play with the loss. The Warriors remain tied at the top of the Wesco 3A standings with a 3-0-1 record, even with the Meadowdale Mavericks who picked up a 2-1 victory over Stanwood on Monday.

In other MTHS action on Monday, Jasmine Zenk struck out nine T-Birds to earn a complete game in as the Hawks soared over Shorewood 11-6 at Mountlake Terrace High School. Zenk had plenty of offensive support from her teammates as Sammy Ruiz went 3-for-5, scored three runs and added an RBI in the win. Senior Sammy Harter added a 3-run homer in the second inning, first home run of her high school career.
Prep Boys Soccer: Mountlake Terrace at Edmonds-Woodway, April 6

Mountlake Terrace  0        0          —         0
Edmonds-Woodway           1        0          —         1

Goal scorer: Jose Aleman (EWHS), 40th minute

Records: Mountlake Terrace 3-1-0 in Wesco League, 4-3-1 overall; Edmonds-Woodway 3-0-1, 5-1-2

Mountlake Terrace next match: versus Marysville-Pilchuck, Wednesday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. at Lynnwood High School

Edmonds-Woodway next match: versus Marysville-Getchell, Wednesday, April 8, 7 p.m. at Marysville-Getchell High School

— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski

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