Warriors deadlocked with Eagles atop the conference standings

by Ted Escobar
| April 26, 2017 1:00 AM

MATTAWA — The Wahluke High School soccer team is right where it likes to be at this time of year — at or near the top of the 1A SCAC East Standings.

After dropping their conference opener to Connell, the defensive-minded Warriors have ripped off five-straight league wins including three shutouts to tie the Eagles with a 4-1 record.

The Warriors can thank Royal for that after knocking off the Connell 1-0 April 11.

It all sets up a crucial match for the conference lead this Friday at home against the Knights. Wahluke won the first meeting at Royal, 1-0. Both teams played Tuesday, but the results were not available at time of press.

The Warriors are 8-3 overall, but have only won four of seven nonleague matches. Wahluke started its 5-game conference streak with a shutout win at Royal. Senior star Emmanuel Hidalgo, who has been awarded a scholarship from South Puget Sound CC, scored the lone goal. He was named the 1A Washington State Athlete of the Week after that game.

The second win of the streak, a 2-0 victory over Warden saw both scores came in the first half of play. Hidalgo’s unassisted goal put the Warriors up 1-0. Josue Gatica rounded out the scoring for the match off a feed from Tony Espindola.

The next whitewashing came against Kiona-Benton, 4-0. The fuss featured a first half hat trick by Hidalgo.

The most impressive of his three goals came on a through ball he collected behind the Bears defense. Hidalgo shook the keeper and deposited the ball in the lower right corner of the goal.

Freshman Fernando Barajas added the fourth goal in the second half.

Hidalgo picked up two more goals in 2-0 win against College Place. The first was assisted by freshman William Dominguez. Alejandro Rivera assisted on the second.

Dominguez, a starter, and Edwin Martinez, who plays a lot, are half of what DiVictoria believes will be the heart of the team in two years. And he just brought up freshmen Uriel Gomez and Barajas from the junior varsity.

“They are all contributing,” he said.