This season was filled with competitive play and with a heavy underclassman roster. Consistency had been a problem for the Scots throughout the season, but the boys were determined to come into districts with a lot of confidence and the mentality to win. The Scots ended the regular season with an 8-3-4 record and were placed in a win-or-go-home game against Ferndale in their first postseason game. The Dales were coming from a 3A Northwest conference with a 6-10-1 record and seemed to be a more than worthy opponent for the Scots.
Coming off of three wins and a draw against a strong Shorewood team, the Scots were feeling confident and had plenty of energy going into the match. When asked what the team did to prepare for this win-or-go-home game, Junior Lachlan Wandler said, “We didn’t know much about Ferndale going into the game other than their record and who they had played before us. The practice before the game was intense and super competitive; the coaches wanted us to be in the best form mentally and physically going into the game.”
Kickoff began, and the Scots had possession of the ball for most of the first half. Despite having plenty of shots on goal, the Scots were unable to find an opening until the 23rd minute of the first half, when Senior Eric Sampson scored the first goal of the game off of a cross from Sophomore Eddie Carli. The Scots continued to apply pressure but were unable to find the back of the net for the remainder of the first half. At halftime, the Scots knew they had to step it up to seal the game.
Right out of the gates, Eric Sampson found his second of the evening, with yet another assist from Eddie Carli making it 2-0. The Scots were hot: two minutes later Eddie Carli finished off a through ball from Junior Zahni Dembrow, increasing the lead to three. With the game getting out of hand and the Scots taking control, Ferndale had no breathing room. The Scots’ defense was a brick wall; they were not letting anything get past them. The Scots strengthened their grip on Ferndale and scored three more goals, coming from Porter Lewis, freshman Cole Ambrose, and sophomore Christian Figueroa Pacheco. Cole and Christian scored their first goals of the season and played a key role in maintaining such a dominant lead over the Dales.
When asked how it felt to score his first goal on Varsity, Christian Figueroa Pacheco replied, “It felt great because I didn’t get many minutes, and that right there for me made me think, like, I proved something, you know? To my coaches, my teammates, my family. I feel like this is a small step to something great in the future. If we keep playing how we are, I think we can make it to state.”
This massive win provided a great boost for the Scots as they advance through the district playoffs. When asked how it felt to beat Ferndale, Senior Captain Porter Lewis responded, “It felt good to beat them. Going forward, we just need to build off that momentum. We had a good win, we scored some goals, and we just need to bring that same energy and commitment to our next game.” With the win against Ferndale, your Scots advance to the next round of the district tournament and face the Cascade Bruins. With an outstanding soccer season, the Scots were proud of their accomplishments and learned so much as a team. Watch out for next year, there’s going to be a revenge story!
