Warriors win SCAC East
MATTAWA – The Wahluke boys soccer team clinched the South Central Athletic Conference (East) with Thursday’s 8-0 win over Kiona-Benton, ending the regular season with a record of 11-3-2.
“We worked so hard,” Wahluke Head Coach Cele Lopez said. “We focused a lot on defense, and we had our ups and downs. We kind of figured something out at the end and allowed the boys to be comfortable. They believed the proposal the coaching staff put on the table, we gave them the tools to perform a little bit better and they’re using it. That was a huge role for our success this season, feeling comfortable in their positions.”
The title comes off the heels of Wahluke’s 1-0 win over Royal, where freshman Rafael Rodriguez scored the lone goal in the win.
“He’s been showing more dedication and more heart than some of the veterans on this team. … It’s a big accomplishment in helping the team, not just for him,” Lopez said. “Not just personal. He’s happy for the team.”
The matchup between Wahluke and Royal was for the SCAC East title. Royal defeated Wahluke earlier this season on March 28 in a 2-1 win over the Warriors, but the win over the Knights on Tuesday gave Wahluke the title.
“The boys were engaged,” Lopez said. “As a soccer player, as any other sport, any time you face someone tough, you’re going to enjoy those games. You want to be part of that. I think the boys wanted this really bad.”
Wahluke also won its final five games of the regular season, outscoring its opponents 19-3. Though the wins are nice, Lopez said it’s the way the team is playing that will give the Warriors momentum entering the postseason.
“It’s the way you win games,” Lopez said. “The boys look comfortable now. We have this mindset, we (made) the switch on being more consistent. I think the boys winning now, it’s not just about the coaches – (the players) started believing that we can pull it off. That’s a big factor for us.”
With a No. 1 seed in the district tournament, Wahluke will host La Salle on Thursday.
“In a district game, it’s a new season,” Lopez said. “Everybody’s coming in strong.”
The Lightning finished the regular season with an 8-7 record ahead of Saturday’s game against Cashmere.
“We’re not going to switch anything,” Lopez said. “We’re just going to play the game, keep enjoying the game and see what they have. We didn’t play (La Salle) this year, we played them last year a couple times, and it was a really good game for us last season.”
Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.
