RENTON — No matter what happened this weekend at Renton Memorial Stadium, the members of the Seton Catholic boys soccer team knew they would be going home winners.
But the Cougars were really hoping to win their final game of the season Saturday.
And they came so close. So, so close.
After surrendering a tying goal in the final minute of regulation, the Cougars lost a penalty-kick shootout 8-7, sending Highland of Cowiche to a 2-1 win in the third-place match of the Class 1A state tournament.
Fielding a roster dominated by underclassmen, including 16 freshmen and sophomores, the Cougars were not expected to have the success they had last season when Seton lost in the round-of-16.
Instead, they surpassed last year’s squad, reaching the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
“At the beginning of the season there was a lot of skepticism on whether or not we’d be able to even win our league,” junior team captain Eli Wall said. “The King’s Way games were tough matches. We lost to White Salmon. So it was definitely a battle to just win our league. And then just making it this far is just crazy. I’m happy to have the fourth-place trophy.”
But that third-place trophy was almost in the Cougars’ grasp.
Wall gave Seton a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when he took a pass from Sam Soto and beat Highland’s goalkeeper Alejandro Silva Martinez.
The Cougars withstood a constant barrage from Highland with freshman Dylan Hamilton stellar in goal and getting help from his backline teammates who cleared balls from an open goal on several occasions.
“All of these teams we play are a lot bigger than us, so we have to really show up and play good soccer to compete with them,” Wall said.
The Cougars did that until the final minute of regulation, when the Scots were awarded a penalty kick in the 80th minute of play. Rudy Silva converted, and the match was tied 1-1.
It remained that way through two five-minute overtimes, sending the game into a penalty-kick shootout.
There the Cougars and Scots matched each other goal for goal, with each converting their first seven attempts, although Hamilton did get a hand on the Scots’ seventh attempt.
In the eighth round, Silva Martinez got the all-important first stop, then Albert Magallon-Reyna made the Scots eight for eight for the victory.
Despite the loss, the Cougars didn’t walk off the field Saturday with their heads down. Instead, they were looking forward.
“I’m looking forward to next year,” Wall said. “Our team is so young. We have only one senior graduating. We’ll be here next year. Hopefully, we’ll win that semifinal game and have a chance at state first place.”
HIGHLAND 2, SETON CATHOLIC 1, OT-PKs
(Penalty kicks 8-7)
Seton Catholic
Goal (assist) —Eli Wall (Sam Soto). Goalkeeper saves — Dylan Hamilton 7. PK shootout goals — Soto, Wall, Isidoris Skiadas, Gavin Erickson, Azriel Saicedo, Zeek Valencia-Mendez, Teagan Petracca.
Highland
Goal — Rudy Silva, pk. Goalkeeper saves — Alejandro Silva Martinez 2. PK shootout goals — Silva, Alexis Perez-Hernandez, Francisco Silva Hernandez, Miguel Romero Ceja, Jose Perez, Jesus Esquivel-Guzman, Yahir Castro Lon, Albert Magallon-Reyna.
