Warriors' season comes up one win shy of a championship

SUMNER — It’s a big disappointment when you come up just one goal short of a state high school soccer championship. It is also a sign of excellence for your program.

That’s the story of the Wahluke High School Warriors after a 1-0 loss to Overlake of Bellevue. The team can either lament the defeat forever or someday gather to reminisce and regale about how the young men brought their school back into the limelight.

An odd side to this match was that Overlake defeated Wahluke, 1-0, in a non-league contest at Bellevue at the start of the year.

Wahluke knows however what it’s like to be the best in the 1A soccer world. The Warriors have performed on the big stage 11 times. During a span of 1995-2011, the team placed seven times and was crowned champion five times. This year marked the 12th state tournament and eighth trophy the Warriors have brought home.

“When we go to the final, we usually win it,” coach Arthur DeVictoria said.

Not this time. The Warriors found themselves in a level battle with the Owls that was decided by a well-executed corner kick just before the half.

“They played it very well, and we didn’t cover very well,” DeVictoria said.

The one mistake of the match was costly, but not as damaging as the loss of the Warriors senior leader Emmanuel Hidalgo who suffered an ankle injury and left the game after being knocked down by the Overlake defense in the first half of play. Hidalgo did not return.

“The ref didn’t call a foul- said there was nothing there,” DeVictoria said. “I sure would like to know what caused the injury if there was nothing there.”

Displeased with the officiating, DeVictoria said the game was called like a club match instead of a championship high school match.

“But I don’t take anything from Overlake,” he said. “They are a fine team and played very well - we played very well too - I’d say we dominated much of the game.”

DeVictoria noted the team was just not the same after Hidalgo, a First-Team All-League forward who was one of the key players during the regular and postseason for the Warriors, left the contest.

“I think he was extra motivated in the post-season after the league did not recognize him as the top player,” DeVictoria said.

DeVictoria expects his teams to win state titles every year. The casual fans not so much. But their opinions might change now after witnessing this team come from near obscurity to one win short of another state championship.

The Warriors played well defensively during the regular season but often struggled on offense, hence the third-place finish in the SCAC East. But Hidalgo kicked the offense into high gear in the playoffs, and the team followed.

“It was a very good year,” DeVictoria said. “We came up a little short, but it was a great year.”

Wahluke, which compiled a 16-7 season, advanced to the title game with a 2-1 victory over Cascade in the semifinals Friday afternoon. Hidalgo scored the first goal off an assist from Tony Espindola. The second goal was produced by Christian Garcia off a feed from Josue Gatica.