SNOHOMISH — The Snohomish boys soccer team announced its intentions in emphatic fashion Wednesday night.
The Panthers labeled themselves title contenders as they dismantled the Federal Way Eagles 3-0 in the first round of the 4A state tournament.
Snohomish, the top seed from District 1 and playing at home, had a tough opening draw against Federal Way. The Eagles, despite being the No. 4 seed from District 3/4, won the South Puget Sound League 4A South and came into the game 16-2.
But the Panthers were in control throughout, despite the challenging opposition. Tyler Mayer scored two goals to lead the way for Snohomish.
“It’s the cliche of one game at a time,” cautioned Snohomish coach Dan Pingrey. “Our goal now is to get to the final four.
“We weren’t bad,” Pingrey added about his team’s performance. “I’d seen (the Eagles) play, they’re a solid team. For the most part the players did what we asked them to do, so it was good. I thought we possessed and worked hard.”
Juan Machuca-Garin also scored and Uriel Herrera had two assists for Snohomish (18-1), which advanced to face Camas in the quarterfinals. That game is Saturday at Snohomish High School at a time to be determined.
Snohomish opened the scoring in the 12th minute. A Panthers build-up resulted in Herrera taking the ball into space on the right side of the penalty box. Herrera rolled a centering pass to Mayer, who tapped it in to give Snohomish a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers doubled their lead two minutes before halftime. Kieran Raney’s through ball sent Machuca-Garin flying toward goal. Machuca-Garin arrived just ahead of Federal Way goalkeeper Koby Craig, flicked the ball just past the keeper, then walked it into the net to make it 2-0.
Federal Way had the ball in the net in the final minute of the first half, but the whistle had already been blown for an Eagles foul, nullifying the goal and keeping it 2-0 at halftime.
The Panthers put it away midway through the second half when Mayer got his second to make it 3-0. More good possession by Snohomish led to Herrera teeing up Mayer 15 yards out. Craig got a hand to Mayer’s drive, but the ball still rolled inside the post.
At Snohomish H.S.
Goals—Tyler Mayer (S) 2, Juan Machuca-Garin (S). Assists—Uriel Herrera (S) 2, Kieran Raney (S). Goalkeepers—Federal Way: Koby Craig. Snohomish: Ryan Peters. Records—Snohomish 18-1 overall. Federal Way 16-3.
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