It was close but the Oak Harbor High School soccer team couldn’t pull off another district tournament upset; the Wildcats lost 1-0 to Shorewood at Shoreline Stadium Tuesday, May 7, in the semifinals of the district tournament.
Oak Harbor opened the tournament by upsetting eighth-ranked Shorecrest 2-1 in a shootout.
Shorewood, which beat the Wildcats handily 4-1 during the regular season and is ranked fifth in the state, received a spirited fight from Oak Harbor.
The Wildcats dominated play in the second half but couldn’t punch in the tying goal.
Their best chance came with five minutes left when Gavin Stewart rocketed a shot that was saved by Thunderbird goalie Calvin Crawford. Crawford, however, could not hang on to the bullet, giving Dakota Powers a chance on the rebound. Crawford recovered to deflect that shot as well and save the game for the T-birds.
Shorewood, 15-1-1 and the defending district champions, scored in the 13th minute. Oak Harbor coach Brian Thompson said a defensive breakdown allowed the score.
Oak Harbor keeper Kevin Silveira sparkled in the match, keeping the Wildcats within one with four saves on Shorewood breakaways.
Thompson said, “I was hoping to get this, but they are a tough team and have only one loss. We had a lot of players step up their game tonight.”
Oak Harbor now needs to win two matches to place third and earn a trip to the state tournament. The Wildcats (8-9-1) face another tough test when they travel to Stanwood for a 7 p.m. match Thursday, May 9. The Spartans (12-4-2) are the Wesco North champions and defeated Oak Harbor 1-0 and 3-1 during the regular season.
