MATTAWA — The 16-seed Wahluke Warriors (17-6-2) are moving on to the 1A state soccer semifinals after defeating the Cascade Kodiaks 4-0 on Friday and Fort Vancouver Trappers 5-1 on Saturday.  

“Every coach would be proud of a team playing with everything they got,” Head Coach Cele Lopez said. “I think the kids are learning their hard work makes a difference, and they're actually believing now. They’re paying attention; everybody looks engaged.” 

After winning in the opening round, the Warriors had to face off against Cascade, who were the first seed in the 1A state tournament. Wahluke took a 1-0 lead heading into halftime before adding three more goals in the second half to advance to the quarterfinals against Fort Vancouver.  

The Warriors carried their momentum into that game, taking a 2-0 lead by halftime. Once again, they added three more goals but gave up one close to the end of the second half. However, it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback, and the Warriors sealed the win.  

“They were motivated,” Lopez said. “Instead of seeing them preoccupied or nervous about playing the number one (team), they were pumped, they were ready for the challenge.” 

Cascade 

After their win over Eastside Prep, Cele expressed excitement at the opportunity to face the top seeded Kodiaks. They met earlier this season in a non-league match where the Warriors fell short 4-2. Now meeting again, the coach said his team felt like they had nothing else to lose. 

“If we win the game, it’s going to be huge for our little town, for the school, and if we lose it’s no big deal, we played the number one (team) in the state anyway,” Lopez said. “They had a really good week of practice; they had a really good warm up, and of course they had a really good game.” 

The Warriors got off to a fast start with Ethan Moreno slicing through a few Kodiak defenders to score in the first three minutes of the game. While the rest of the first half went scoreless, Wahluke stayed aggressive in their attack, Cele said.  

Alan Arroyo, Enrique Alejo and Icker Lopez each added to the Warriors’ lead in the second half. By the end of regulation, Wahluke overcame Cascade 4-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.  

As the game went on, the Warriors looked comfortable on Wenatchee’s turf field, said Lopez.  

“The boys look really comfortable with the bounce of the ball and everything, and we never take the foot off the gas pedal, and we kept attacking,” Lopez said. “We were creating a lot of space. They tried to double my kicker in the middle (of the field), so that created a lot of space for the other boys to shine.” 

Fort Vancouver 

Riding the momentum of their first two wins, the Warriors brought the same intensity to their quarterfinal game against the Trappers.  

Icker got the offense rolling with a goal to help the Warriors take the lead with about 28 minutes left in the first half. Balderick Gomez added a second goal to give them a 2-0 lead at halftime.  

Wahluke’s attack continued in the second half with a goal by Hector Contreras and two more by Icker to increase their lead to 5-0. An error toward the end of the second half set up a free kick which the Trappers converted to cut the deficit to 5-1. Despite that, the Warriors held on until the end of regulation to seal the win and advance to the semifinals.  

“Defense cleaned it up really good, and the goalkeeper made a few saves, and they put us on the other side of the field, and we kept attacking,” Lopez said.  

As the lowest remaining seed in the state tournament, the Warriors feel motivated by the possibility of being overlooked by their opponents.  

“I feel in the second game, the other team totally overlooked us,” Lopez said. “They beat Connell in the first game, I think they were thinking pretty similar, and we proved them wrong.”  

The Warriors head to Federal Way Memorial Stadium on Friday where they will face the 12-seed Meridian Trojans in the 1A state semifinals at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the state championship Saturday, while the loser will have a chance to compete for a third-place finish on Saturday.  

In the meantime, Lopez and the Warriors are focused on maintaining the same intensity they’ve played with thus far. As a former player for the Warriors, Lopez remembers the team winning a state title in 2000. Now as the head coach, it would be a full circle moment if he could bring another title to the Mattawa community.  

“I always say that soccer saved my life,” he said. “I want to pass it on to my community, to my kids, to my athletes. I feel pride in the things that I do. I wish that every single kid has the opportunity to play in an organized team, and if you get to know Mattawa, it's been known they can play soccer. Everywhere you go, you ask about Mattawa (people say) they have a good soccer program, and that's huge.” 

BOX SCORES: 

Round two 

WHLK: 1-3: 4 

CSCD: 0-0: 0 

Quarterfinals 

WHLK: 2-3: 5 

FVNC: 0-1: 1 

    Rafael Rodriguez (12) boots the ball to a teammate during their state tournament game against Eastside Prep earlier this season.
  

    The Wahluke Warriors’ Aiden Miramontes-Ramirez (8) boots the ball back into play against Eastside Prep earlier this season. Head Coach Cele Lopez said his players have brought a new level of intensity in the postseason.
  

    Omar Rodriguez (18) races an Eastside Prep defender to the ball during their state tournament game earlier this season.