Needing a win to stay in contention for a postseason berth, the Oak Harbor High School soccer team edged Meadowdale 1-0 Friday, April 29, at Wildcat Memorial Stadium.
With two league matches remaining, the Wildcats (3-6-1, 4-8-2) are now tied with Mountlake Terrace (3-6-1, 3-7-4) for the seventh and final district tournament berth. Fittingly, the two teams meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 2, at Edmonds Stadium.
Oak Harbor finishes the regular season at home at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, with Marysville Getchell (3-5-2, 3-6-5), the team just above the Wildcats in the Wesco standings.
Oak Harbor scored the game winner against Meadowdale with 10 minutes remaining in the match.
Eric Jensen passed to JJ Mitchell, who fought off defenders on both sides to shoot from 15 yards out. His shot was stopped by the Maverick goalkeeper, but Mitchell was leveled as he shot and awarded a penalty kick. Mitchell, Oak Harbor’s leading scorer, suffered leg cramps on the play. It took Mitchell several minutes to work out the cramps — too long in the eyes of the official — and was sent off the field.
Jensen took the kick, drilling it in the lower left corner.
Meadowdale controlled much of the action in the first half, but neither team generated many scoring opportunities.
What chances the Mavericks did have were turned back by Oak Harbor keeper Jared Hoyt, who Oak Harbor coach Brian Thompson called the Player of the Game.
“He had a a lot of great saves,” Thompson said of his junior keeper.
The pace quickened in the second half, with the Wildcats’ offense getting stronger as the match progressed.
“We just picked it up,” Thompson said of the increase in productivity.
Twelve minutes after the break, Oak Harbor’s Ramon Acosta zipped a header just above the bar in the Wildcats’ best look of the night until Jensen’s goal.
Hoyt made several diving saves and grabs in heavy traffic to blank Meadowdale. After one stop, he received an un-called kick to the chin but held on.
“Meadowdale is a very rough and aggressive team,” Thompson said. “Fortunately, it worked out for us.”
(Left: Kyle Truex dribbles up the sideline.
Below: Jard Hoyt makes one of his many saves.
Photos by John Fisken.)
