Fort Vancouver clinches its first state tournament berth in boys soccer since 1988

Nelson Zepeda was celebrating Fort Vancouver clinching a spot in the 2A boys soccer state tournament when some Fort students asked him what happens next.

“I don’t know,” the Trappers’ team captain said. “We’ve never done this before.”

What happens next is the WIAA seeding committee will announce state matchups on Sunday after the Trappers’ beat Ridgefield 2-0 on Saturday to clinch the school’s first berth in the boys soccer state tournament since 1988.

“Honestly, it’s something like a dream come true,” Zepeda said. “We’ve worked so hard. At first, our first goal was to make districts, and after that, we just wanted to dream big. And it’s amazing that we finally got here.”

The Trappers got another boost of confidence when Roberto Revuelta headed in a goal in the 19^th minute to give them an early 1-0 lead.

“We’ve had trouble making that first goal in the first half,” Zepeda said. “So getting the early lead meant a lot to us. It was just a lot of energy. We came out with it and stuck with it to the end.”

It also allowed the Trappers to play to their strength, playing good defense. Saturday’s win was Fort’s ninth shutout of the season.

Zepeda credited the play of defenders Michel Diaz Ramirez, Abdoulie Juwara, Said Cervantes and Edgar Sanchez Lopez.

“Our defensive line has held it down, being disciplined and knowing their roles,” Zepeda said. “They really kept us in the game. It’s not all offense. It’s really our defense as well.”

When Morlai Sesay punched in another goal in the 68^th minute, the Trappers were on their way to state.

“I told the kids that they’re continuing to give me more work,” Mendoza said. “It’s been fun, and now we’re just setting the standard for the rest of our season and the rest of the year to come at Fort.”