Wahluke High School soccer team falls short in extra time
Casey McCarthy/ Columbia Basin Herald Wahluke forward Yerik Arelliano battles with Cascade midfielder Efren Guerrero in the first half of the Warriors 2-1 defeat in Mattawa on Tuesday.
Casey McCarthy/ Columbia Basin Herald Allen Contreras fires a shot for Wahluke in the first half of the State tournament game against Cascade on Tuesday in Mattawa. The Warriors were defeated 2-1 in extra time.
Casey McCarthy/ Sun Tribune Wahluke midfielder William Dominguez embraces teammate Alejandro Rivera after the team’s defeat in the opening round of the 1A State tournament in Mattawa.
MATTAWA — Wahluke High School soccer team’s season ended on a sour note as the Warriors lost to Cascade 2-1 in the opening round of the 1A State tournament in Mattawa.
Cascade opened up the scoring in the game with 22 minutes to go in the second half on a shot from junior Arturo Avila. The Warriors drew even five minutes later on a mishap by the Kodiaks that led to an own goal.
Tied 1-1 after regular time, the Kodiaks scored the deciding goal in the second period of extra time to advance to the next round.
Wahluke finished with 13 shots in the game, 4 on goal. The Kodiaks drew even with 13 shots, 6 on frame. Wahluke keeper Isaiah Perez finished the game with seven saves, while Cascade finished with four.
Freshman Orlando Erazo led the Warriors with five shots, two on target. Allen Contreras also finished with two shots on goal for Wahluke. Avila led Cascade with five as well, one on target. Both teams finished with two yellow cards apiece.
Wahluke and Cascade drew even, 2-2, in their regular season matchup in March. The Warriors entered the match on six-game winning streak, winning the SCAC District championship last Thursday in Naches Valley.
“I’m really proud of them,” Wahluke head coach Arthur de Victoria said after the game.
The Warriors came into the season looking to make it back to the finals in the State tournament, where they finished as runner up last season.
“We felt that, this year, we had a really good chance to make it far into the tournament,” de Victoria said. “I think the team, overall, played about as well as they could.”
Coach de Victoria said his team will learn and grow from this match moving forward. “We’ve got a bunch of juniors, and we’re going to learn from this and we’re going to keep on going,” de Victoria said. “That’s just what you gotta do.”
Cascade will face Lakeside in the next round of the state tournament.