Wahluke crushes Granger, 6-1 earns soccer semifinal match
The Wahluke seniors were honored at their final regular season game last week. From left, they are: Top row – Luis Sanchez, Alexis Fernandez, Mauricio Soto, Jorge Mendoza, Captain Brandon Anaya, David Penida, Juan Carlos Perez, Sebastian Barajas, Jose Garcia, Eduardo Valdenea; Middle Row – William Vargas, Coach Arthur de Victoria; Bottom Row – Carlos Barbosa, Jorge Rincon, Juan Bravo, Jason Ray Cruz, Elian Rivera.
Wahluke’s Jorge Rincon controls the ball on his foot before passing to teammate Mauricio Soto during the Connell contest.
MATTAWA — Wahluke is back in a familiar place regarding high school soccer. The Warriors will play today at Highland for a ticket to the state tournament.
Wahluke defeated the defending state champs, 2-1, at Highland earlier in a non-league contest. Then the Scotties went on a 8-0 tear through the SCAC West to win that title.
The contest will get under way at 4 p.m. If the Warriors win, they will be qualified for state and will play Thursday at Royal against Connell or Royal for the district championship.
“The Highland game will be a good game,” Coach Arthur DeVictoria. “They don’t have the same team as last year, but they are still good.”
So is Wahluke, as SCAC West second-place Granger learned last Friday in the first round of the tournament. Wahluke was in control, 3-0, after 15 minutes.
Eduardo Valdenea scored Wahluke’s first two goals on assists from Jorge Rincon. They came in the 6th and 11th minutes. On another assist by Rincon, Jose Alejo added the third goal in the 15th minute.
Valdenea made the score 4-0 at halftime with a goal in the 35th minute assisted by Alejo.
The highlight of the second half was a play by goalie Ulysses Gonzalez. He saved a penalty kick by Granger from about 12 yards.
“There are several things you have to do to make that play, and he did them all,” DeVictoria said.
Reading the kicker, Gonzalez dove to his right and smothered the ball outside of the goal.
With his team in control, DeVictoria employed mostly a reserve lineup in the second half. Rincon scored in the 46th minute off an assist by Jose Cruz. Erick Perez scored on an assist by Leo Perez in the 80th minute.
Wahluke had nine shots on goal. Granger had two.
In an odd game earlier last week, the Warriors finished second in the SCAC East after a 1-0 loss to Connell. Connell made its lone shot on goal. Wahluke missed all of its 10.
“We just couldn’t get it to go in,” DeVictoria said.