Wahluke defeats Royal for district championship
Casey McCarthy/ The Sun Tribune Wahluke defender Fernando Garcia challenges the Royal player in the Warriors’ 1-0 win in Naches for the district championship.
Casey McCarthy/ The Sun Tribune Wahluke soccer team celebrates after defeating Royal 1-0 to claim the SCAC District championship on Thursday in Naches.
Casey McCarthy/ The Sun Tribune The Wahluke soccer team poses for a picture after being presented the trophy for winning the District championship on Thursday at Naches Valley High School.
Casey McCarthy/ The Sun Tribune Royal midfielder Alonso Hernandez drives towards the goal against Wahluke defender Marcos Castro in the first half of the district championship on Thursday in Naches. Wahluke won the match 1-0.
NACHES — Wahluke soccer claimed revenge against Royal, 1-0, in a rematch of last season’s SCAC District championship on Thursday, May 9, at Naches Valley High School.
With the victory, the Warriors claim their first over the Knights in 2019 after losing both games against Royal in the regular season.
Wahluke junior Yerik Arellano scored off a deflection early in the second half to give the Warriors the determining goal. Freshman Orlando Erazo led the Wahluke attack with 8 shots in the match.
Wahluke head coach Arthur de Victoria said his team worked hard for the win.
“Number eight, William Dominguez, solid,” de Victoria said. “He played extremely well today. Orlando was making the runs and being open. Our defense I think is what really won this for us. They played really well.”
Royal had a number of chances late in the second half to even the score but just couldn’t find the back of the net. Wahluke goalkeeper Isaiah Perez finished with 11 saves in the match.
“We had chances and it was a battle, a battle against our neighbors, and now we look forward,” Royal head coach Jens Jensen said. “Whether it’s home or away, we can go battle, we can regroup, and we’ll be ready to roll.”
With the victory on Thursday, Wahluke will play at home in the first round of the state tournament. The Warriors will face Cascade in the first round, a team they faced already this year in a 2-2 tie at home.
Wahluke coach de Victoria said he would like to see his team get healthy headed into the state tournament.
“One of our key guys went down (tonight) with a head injury,” de Victoria said. “We were trying to be smart with him. We’ve got a couple of guys we’re trying to get back to full health. We were kind of scrambling today.”
With the defeat, Royal will travel to face Lakeside in the round of sixteen.
If both Royal and Wahluke advance, there will be another rematch between the two sides in the quarterfinals. The Knights will look for revenge against the Warriors who knocked them out of last season’s state tournament before advancing to the 1A state championship.