Wahluke finishes fourth in state tournament
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Icker Lopez (17) muscles past an Eastside Prep defender for control of the ball against Eastside Prep earlier this season.
FILE PHOTO
Omar Rodriguez (18) makes a defensive stop against an Eastside Prep player during their state tournament game.
The Wahluke Warriors’ Aiden Miramontes-Ramirez (8) boots the ball back into play against Eastside Prep earlier this season.
Alan Arroyo cuts to his right while on the attack for the Wahluke Warriors earlier this season.
FEDERAL WAY — The Wahluke Warriors finished their season Saturday with a 3-0 loss to Cedar Park Christian, which means they finish fourth in the 1A/2B state tournament. This came after a deep tournament run to the semifinals where they suffered a 1-0 loss to Meridian on Friday.
“It's really simple, the winner is going to be the one that puts (the goals) in, and we didn’t, they had one good opportunity and they finished. We paid the consequences,” Head Coach Cele Lopez said.
Following the semifinal loss, they moved to face CPC for chance place third. The two teams would battle for the first 10 minutes of the game, each applying pressure through their attack. However, Cedar Park found an opening to thread the ball into the bottom right corner of the net to take a 1-0 lead with 27 minutes to go in the first half.
CPC added another goal in the final seconds of the half to make it 2-0 at the break.
About midway through the second half, Cedar Park found an opening for a break away run which set up for a pass inside that led to their third goal of the game with 25 minutes to go. From there, the Warriors continued to battle and take shots on goal but ultimately was unsuccessful. CPC held on to seal the win and take third place in the state tournament.
With the loss, the Warriors season has come to an end. Despite the tough finish, Lopez came away proud of his team and what they accomplished this season.
“I'm happy, like not everybody has the opportunity to finish in the top four in the state,” he said. “They gave it their all, and at the end of the day, it's everything you can ask of your team. Everybody tried the hardest they could, and hopefully we're going to be back next year.”
Putting together a standout performance in the postseason this year was Icker Lopez, who accounted for five goals throughout the second round and quarterfinals of the state tournament. Even in the final two games, the coach said Icker excelled at creating opportunities for him and his teammates to score.
“He was a key factor on offense,” Lopez said. “He gives so much to the team on creating and spreading the ball side to side and of course finishing.”
A highlight from the weekend for Lopez and the Warriors was the amount of support they received from the Mattawa community; several even made the trip out to Federal Way.
“I'm just thankful to all the fans that showed up, coaching staff and all the teachers. It's always good to see the principal; everybody shows support to the kids. It's good to live in a small community,” Lopez said.
BOX SCORE:
Semifinals
WHLK: 0-0: 0
MRDN: 1-0: 1
Third/Fourth place
WHLK: 0-0: 0
CPRK: 2-1: 3
Omar Rodriguez (18) makes a defensive stop against an Eastside Prep player during their state tournament game.
The Wahluke Warriors’ Aiden Miramontes-Ramirez (8) boots the ball back into play against Eastside Prep earlier this season.
Alan Arroyo cuts to his right while on the attack for the Wahluke Warriors earlier this season.ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
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