The Union Titans earned the program’s fourth boys soccer state tournament berth on Saturday by winning a penalty-kick tiebreaker for a 1-0 victory in a bi-district playoff match at Mount Si of Snoqualmie.
The teams battled through 90 minutes of scoreless soccer before the Titans won the shootout 4-1 to claim their spot in the state round of 16. Union (13-5-1) will travel to face Mariner of Everett on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
“Our kids competed. They weathered the storm at the beginning and settled in and played well,” Union coach Kelcey Burris said.
The Titans made all four of their penalty kicks to win the match. Bishop Washington, Taye Bunda, Jonathan Granados and Masaki Rhodes made the kicks.
Union goalkeeper Brandon Wolter saved the first penalty kick from Mount Si. Mount Si then made its second kick but missed its third to allow Union to clinch the victory with four converted kicks.
Burris said the match was mostly a battle between the 18-yard boxes. Wolter made one big save in the second half to keep the match scoreless. In the second 5-minute overtime Union had a goal called back for offside.
“Our guys competed and played as a group, as a brotherhood. That was the key,” Burris said.
Mount Si defeated Union 2-0 on March 12 at McKenzie Stadium. Burris said that result had no impact on Saturday’s match because teams change so much over the course of a season. He said the Titans’ March 11 road game at Eastlake, though, did give his team experience playing on the road against a tough KingCo Conference opponent.
This is Union’s first trip to state in boys soccer since 2013 when the Titans lost to Thomas Jefferson in the 4A state championship game.
3A bi-district
HAZEN 1, COLUMBIA RIVER 0 — The Chieftains finished in sixth place with the loss to Hazen at Burien.
Hazen scored its goal in the first half.
In the first round of the 3A state tournament, Columbia River will travel to play at Kamiakin on Tuesday or Wednesday.
2A district
ABERDEEN 2, WOODLAND 1 — The Beavers were eliminated in the third-place/loser-out match at Aberdeen.
Juan Mosqueda scored in the 64th minute for Woodland to tie the match at 1-1, but Aberdeen scored the go-ahead goal three minutes later.
