Inspired comeback falls shy for Royal soccer

Royal's slow start too much to overcome

WENATCHEE — It's understandable the Royal Knights soccer team was a bit hyped up for the program's first-ever state tournament appearance Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, that hype turned into disaster.

Cascade of Leavenworth scored twice in the first three minutes, and though Royal put together an inspired second-half comeback, wound up falling 3-2 in a shootout with the Kodiaks in a first-round 1A state playoff game at the Apple Bowl.

"The honest truth is they came out so wound up, so tight, that they couldn't relax," Royal head coach Jens Jensen said. "Give us those first five minutes back and we win."

Cascade's George Morales put the Kodiaks out front in the first minute on an unassisted goal. Two minutes later, the Knights deflected the ball into their own net.

"It looked like the defenders were standing there in concrete," Jensen said. "They didn't know what was going on."

Royal got its act together after that. The forwards and midfielders began creating space and scoring chances, while the defense picked up its aggressiveness, but Cascade still led 2-0 at the break.

"At halftime we didn't really make any changes," Jensen said. "We just said relax, get out there and get it done."

It took just six minutes for Royal to make good on that ultimatum, with Daniel Ocampo scoring unassisted to make it 2-1. Royal continued its surge over the next 20 minutes and finally tied the game in the 70th minute on Roman Prujillo's unassisted marker.

The Knights had a great chance to win in regulation, but hit the goalpost. The Kodiaks did likewise in overtime after being awarded a penalty kick.

Royal's nerves appeared to return in the shootout. Goalkeeper Ivan Arroyo was Royal's first shooter and converted, but the next four players missed. Arroyo saved three Cascade shots, but the Kodiaks eventually pulled out a 2-1 triumph.

The Kodiaks had a 15-13 edge in shots on goal with Arroyo collecting nine saves. Cascade advanced to state quarterfinal action on Saturday, facing off against Wahluke, a 1-0 winner over Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) on Tuesday.

While Jensen was disappointed with the final result, he had nothing but admiration for the way his players battled back from the worst start imaginable.

"I don't want to sound too negative — it was an amazing performance," he said. "The boys hung in and worked their hearts out for 90 minutes and never looked tired."

Additionally, Jensen said the game probably created a host of new soccer fans in the Royal community.

"The main thing for us is last night we had people at the game that had never been at a soccer game before," he said. "That, in and of itself, is exciting for the boys and the program."

The Knights graduate a host of seniors, which makes next season's outlook somewhat uncertain in Jensen's eyes. The coach was happy the outgoing seniors had a chance to do what no other Royal team had previously done — advance to state.

"I'm just glad for those guys that they had this opportunity and I was able to be a part of it," he added.