Wahluke wins at district tourney
A Connell player knocks the ball loose from Emmanuel Hidalgo, but Luis Vaca is there to recover control during the SCAC final season match at Connell.
MATTAWA - Wahluke High School finished second in SCAC East soccer after dropping a 1-0 shootout to Connell in the final game of the league slate at Connell last week.
The Warriors were forced into the first round of the district tournament Saturday, and they redeemed themselves with a struggling victory. Now things get really tough.
Wahluke plays at Highland today in the semifinal round of the tournament. Granger plays at Connell. The four high-level performers are vying for three state tourney berths.
The winners of today's games will go on to the district finale at Sunnyside as the first two state qualifiers. They will play at 2 p.m. for the district title.
Today's losers will play the same day at 4 p.m. at Sunnyside to determine the third qualifier. Connell and Highland are favored to win the semifinal matches.
The Connell contest was clean but tough. Both teams attacked repeatedly, but the defenses held every time. Even the team with the wind in each half found no advantage.
The Eagles and Warriors battled through two overtimes and still stood at 0-0. So they went to the shootout. Connell put in three goals, and Wahluke scored two.
Mabton was supposed to be the weak team in the district tournament, but Wahluke coach Arthur DeVictoria's standing admonition that every team is a threat held up in the opener Saturday. Wahluke had to go to overtime to win, 2-1.
The game changer for Mabton was the Viking keeper. He turned away 14 of Wahluke's 16 shots on goal. The Warriors couldn't seem to find a way around him.
"We didn't play very well. We hit the ball right at him," DeVictoria said. "But you have to give Mabton credit. They were a good team. They were better than everybody thought.
The Warriors won in overtime when Luis Vaca dribbled down the right side of the field then centered the ball to Emmanuel Hidalgo, who drilled the ball to the left corner from about six yards.
The teams battled to a scoreless first half. Mabton took the lead first with a goal in the 65th minute.
Wahluke came back in the 71st minute. Vaca captured the ball near mid-field and moved it goal-ward. He fired a hard grounder from about 20 yards.
If Mabton was tough, imagine what Wahluke will run into today. The Scotties won the SCAC West.
Wahluke played Highland to 1-1 non-league tie early in the season. But that was at Wahluke. The Scotties rarely lose at home.