Eastlake loses, 2-1, to Mt. Si in hard-fought battle
On Friday, April 25, the Eastlake Wolves fell to the Mt. Si Wildcats in a 2-1 loss at home.
While the Wolves appeared to outplay the Wildcats most of the game, they could not catch a break when it mattered. Despite multiple attacks, hard-fought possessions, and repeated threats to the Mt. Si goal, nearly every attempt was blocked or off target for the home team. The Wolves fell behind in the first half and never gained the upper hand. In the end, Eastlake lost to Mt. Si in a hard-fought 2-1 battle.
Although the Wolves held possession for the majority of the first half, the Wildcats made their few attacks count. Finding themselves in a 3-on-3 match-up with the Eastlake defense, Wildcat forward Parker Calender attempted to sprint past his Eastlake opponent but was fouled in the penalty box. Mt. Si team captain Ryder Bishop took the penalty kick for the visiting team and found the back of the net for a 1-0 Wildcat lead.
While Eastlake continued to dominate possession of the ball, Mt. Si found another unexpected opportunity. Capitalizing on their luck, the Wildcats raced down field where they outnumbered the Wolves, 4-3. A couple missed tackles allowed an easy pass to the undefended Mt. SI forward Beckham Poirot. Finding himself wide open, his shot flew into the top corner of the net. The Wolves were down 2-0 as the halftime whistle blew.
Initially, the second half saw both teams struggle for possession and control flip-flopped between them. As the half went on, Eastlake took the initiative as they had in the first half, maintaining possession and being first to the ball.
A ball thrown in by Eastlake was knocked out of the penalty box with a header but recovered by the Wolves. Another pass, this time to Eastlake striker Kavi Badh, quickly had the ball down field, where he passed it into the center. The shot, blocked by a Mt. Si defender, saw the wayward ball fly into the air and come down at the feet of Eastlake striker Shingi Marangwanda. Marangwanda tapped the ball into the goal and the Wolves, down 2-1, were back in the fight.
With 11 minutes of regulation time left, the home team fought hard for an equalizer. As time ran down, the Wolves were unable to turn their passion into points. The Mt. Si defense held until the final whistle, securing their 2-1 victory over the Wolves.
The Eastlake Wolves will play the Inglemoor Vikings on Thursday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Pop Keeney stadium in Kenmore, WA for their final game in the regular season.
