Four Adam Martinez goals propel Royal to final four
Adam Martinez of Royal, left, and teammate Elias Corona (7) corral the ball in the vicinity of the Warden goal during a state 1A soccer tournament quarterfinal at Royal on Saturday. Martinez had a four-goal day in a 4-0 victory.
ROYAL CITY - It took him a while to get warmed up, but once he did, Royal forward Adam Martinez was way too much for the Warden Cougars to handle Saturday in a state 1A soccer quarterfinal at Royal on Saturday.
The result was four goals for the speedy Martinez and a 4-0 victory that put Royal in the state final four for the first time in history.
The Knights will face defending state champ Wahluke in a 4 p.m. semifinal at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner on Friday. The winner will play for the state title at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The loser will play for third place at 10 a.m.
"Wahluke is organized, and they are difficult to break down," coach Jens Jensen said. "You have to take chances when you get them and, up to this point, we haven't been able to do that."
Wahluke and Royal have played three times, and the Warriors have won by one goal each time. The second meeting decided the South Central A Conference title.
The third meeting was for the SCAC district championship. That match went two overtimes and a shootout and ended 1-0.
The Warden contest was in doubt for about 20 minutes, with Warden pressing the attack more than Royal. The Knights may have suffered some early over-confidence against the class 2B foe.
"Things were fairly disconnected," Jensen said.
Then a series of sharp passes led to an opportunity. From that point on, it was all Royal. Martinez scored at the 26:10 mark and became a blur for the Cougars.
"It was as if all the tumblers fell into place," Jensen said. "The boys won the midfield and started creating chances by spreading the field. Adam was able to step into dangerous areas and receive the ball."
The first Martinez goal came on an assist from Shaq Ledezma. The next three were the result of sharp team passing. Martinez scored at 32:45, 33:49 and 53:13.
After its initial pressures, Warden was held at bay by the Royal defenders. The Cougars had eight shots total and only four on goal. Lupe Arceo of Royal had three saves.
Royal took 13 shots, six on goal. Carlos Barajas had one save for Warden. Warden had five corner kicks to none for Royal.
Earlier in the week, Royal accomplished another milestone when it defeated Brewster, 4-1, to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
Brewster, champs of its league and district, started with a rush and challenged the goal. Royal withstood the charge, took away the momentum and raced to a 4-0 halftime lead.
"We knew they would have a problem with a team that would quickly counter," Jensen said.
Approaching the 10th minute, the Royal offense began to click. The passes came together, culminating in a 3-pass counter attack that put Martinez behind the defenders.
Martinez pounded a shot across the face of the goal and netted it in the bottom opposite corner at the 10:35 mark. Within 17 minutes of that point, Royal was up 3-0.
The second and third goals resulted from a breakout game by Ledezma. It was a performance Jensen was expecting all year. He was elated it came at state.
"He came up big for us in this match by . . . doing what he does best, forcing the ball into the net with his speed, commitment and strength," Jensen said.
The first Ledezma goal was unassisted. The second came on a feed from Martinez.
Martinez scored the fourth goal at the 44:56 mark when he latched onto a thru ball, rounded the goal keeper and scored from the tightest of angles. He beat two defenders who tried to fill the gap.
Royal took 16 shots all together, nine on goal. Brewster was held to 10 and five. Royal tender Lupe Arceo had four saves.
"The defense held up well," Jensen said. "Once we made some adjustments to the midfield ... we were able to win the middle of the park."
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