Knights reach final four with shootout win over Seton Catholic

ROYAL CITY — Penalty kicks determined the winner of Saturday’s 1A Boys State Soccer quarterfinal match between No. 3 seed Royal and No. 11 seed Seton Catholic, with the Knights advancing to the state semifinals with a 3-1 shootout win over the Cougars.

Saturday’s contest was a rematch of the 2023 second round, where Seton Catholic defeated the Knights 3-1.

“This year, the mentality was we’re going to try and take what you give us, and hope that when we have our opportunities, that we take them — but we are for sure going to do everything we can to make sure that we give you nothing,” Royal head coach Jens Jensen said. “When they had the wind, we just tried to kill the game, kill the clock.”

In the shootout, seniors Santiago Gonzalez and Miguel Soriano both converted on their attempts in the first and third rounds, respectively, to put the Knights up 2-1 entering the fifth round; sophomore Ernesto Deras sealed Royal’s win by scoring on his attempt in the fifth round of the penalty shootout.

Junior goalkeeper Alex Arceo had two saves in the shootout, helping the Knights reach their first final four since 2018.

“To get back, it’s no simple feat to make the final four,” Jensen said. “It’s cool, it’s great to get back and have another opportunity to win a trophy — and I hope it’s the big trophy.”

Seton Catholic only lost one senior off its 2023 roster, so the bulk of the Cougar roster was as it was a season ago. The Cougars defeated No. 6 Wahluke 3-0 in the second round on Friday evening.

“We knew coming in that it was going to be a similar team, and we had some concerns about that,” Jensen said. “(Seton Catholic junior Sam Soto), who scored two on Wahluke, he scored two on us last year – so we knew we had to stop him. We knew (Soto) was a problem, he’s kind of like an Energizer Bunny — just never quits, he’s all over the place.”

In last year’s match, Jensen said the Knights aimed to pressure the young Seton Catholic team, which was mainly made up of freshmen and sophomores; that game plan changed this time around.

“Last year I think we looked at them as a young team, and our main focus was to kind of bully them a little bit — let’s try to take it to them, try to bully them, and in doing that, our defensive shape got a little loose and they took advantage,” Jensen said. “This year, we were more careful to not give anything up.”

Outside of a brief stretch, the Royal defense held firm in breaking up Cougar attacks.

“We did a good job,” Jensen said. “There was maybe a seven-minute period where Seton had some chances, but by and large, I feel like we were the ones asking the questions most of the match.”

The Knights will take on No. 2 seed Vashon Island on Friday evening at Renton Memorial Stadium. The Pirates opened the state tournament by facing teams from the Caribou Trail League in back-to-back rounds, defeating No. 15 Cashmere 6-0 in the second round and No. 10 Quincy 2-1 in the quarterfinals. 

This is the fourth time the Knights have reached the state semifinals, with each of the previous three times resulting in a loss and a third-place finish in the state. 

“On Saturday, if you can get through Vashon (Island) and get into that championship game, all bets are off,” Jensen said. “You’ve got two teams that played less than 24 hours before that, and then it’s going to come down to who’s got a bench and who’s got the heart.”

The key to reaching Saturday’s state title match? Defense, Jensen said.

“We have to be super organized and we can’t give anything up, and you have to hope that a referee decision doesn’t go away from you or the boys cover for one another,” Jensen said. “You’re going to make mistakes, and you just are hoping that the mistakes you make that your buddies are there to cover.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Royal junior Alex Arceo had two saves in the shootout against Seton Catholic on Saturday, helping send the Knights to the fourth-ever appearance in the state semifinals.
  

    Royal senior Jairo Machado (17) brings the ball upfield during Friday’s second-round match against Meridian. Royal defeated the Trojans 1-0 before beating Seton Catholic 1-0 in a penalty shootout on Saturday.