By Lorelei Meissner and Gene Helfman
After their most successful regular season in decades, the 11-2 boys soccer team entered the District championship and started with a 3-2 win against Auburn Adventist on Nov. 5. This set up a semifinal round rematch against Friday Harbor, played on the turf field at Oak Harbor Nov. 7. Senior goalie Jacob Sanford was on injured reserve, leaving goal-tending duties to ninth-grader Huck Henderson. The match remained scoreless until the 26th minute when Jacob Velazquez-Velazco executed a perfect cross to Ethan Patrick in front of the Wolverines’ goal, and Patrick rocketed the ball past the Friday Harbor keeper. The half ended Lopez 1, Friday Harbor nil, with keeper Henderson barely challenged.
Friday Harbor came out on the attack in the second half, play shifting to the Lopez side of the pitch. Henderson made several saves, mostly off corner kicks. A questionable handball call 13 minutes into the second half led to a Wolverine goal on a penalty kick, tying the game. The score remained locked until, with only eight minutes left in regulation, Andris Meissner made a run down the left side, then crossed the ball again to a waiting Patrick, who scored for the second time. The last few minutes were pretty furious, Friday Harbor attacking and Lopez defenders clearing the ball. Final score: Lopez 2, Friday Harbor 1!
Coach Mycah Kraushaar was all smiles, after tending to several injured players. She said the team came out strong in the first half, organized and with the intensity they’ve been working on. They got caught up in the drama in the second half, things getting a little sloppy, but then righted the ship. “Both goals were set up perfectly. We haven’t had many of those crossing plays, but it’s something we’ve been encouraging, and they were both a thing of beauty.”
The win catapulted the Lobos into the championship game, held at Sammamish High on Nov. 9 against Orcas Island, one of only two teams to defeat the Lobos in the regular season. Unfortunately, key injuries on defense and in goal could have easily spelled the end of this comeback story. Center back Oliver Rick — a vital piece of Lopez’ defense — was out with an injury, and senior keeper Sanford was unavailable due to illness. The game, played in the rain, was a nailbiter, scoreless well into the second half. The crowd prepared for overtime and potential — and often arbitrary — penalty kicks. With only three minutes remaining in regulation, Rafa Velazquez threw the ball to Patrick, who passed it back to Velazquez, who passed it again to Patrick. A couple of touches and a shot and GOALLLLLL! Lopez 1, Orcas 0! All the Lobos needed to do was run out the clock, and negate their earlier loss to the Vikings. When the whistle blew, Sammamish Stadium erupted as the announcement declared the Lopez Lobos bi-district champions for the first time in 30 years! The bench cleared as the team rushed clutch goalkeeper Henderson, while the Lopez fans stormed the field. The players hugged family and friends and held aloft the championship hardware. With the win, Lopez secured a crucial higher seeding at the upcoming state tournament, their scheduled opponent Evergreen Lutheran, Nov. 15, at Mount Vernon.
