Auburn Mountainview blanks Capital, 4-0, for first district boys soccer title

The first-timer list keeps growing in 2016.

Three months after Auburn Mountainview High School won its first Class 3A West Central District boys basketball title in school history, the boys soccer squad did the same thing Saturday.

The Lions got a goal apiece from four players, and dominated 3A Narrows champion Capital, 4-0, in the bi-district title match at Highline Stadium.

Auburn Mountainview (16-2), the 3A SPSL champion, got off 22 shots on goals, compared with the Cougars’ five. The Lions took turns taking target practice at Capital goalkeeper Alyx Racimo.

To Racimo’s credit, he stood in there against some close-range whizzers and ended up with nine saves, including one on a Lions’ penalty kick at the end of the first half.

But with half of Capital’s starting defense unavailable to play Saturday due to personal reasons, Auburn Mountainview’s strikers dribbled in close almost uncontested.

“That is why the disorganization was there,” Capital coach Andrew Lopez said.

Take the Lions’ first tally, a game-winning goal by Christian Rotter in the 14th minute. He got the ball up top and charged up the middle, starting at the 30-yard line. Rotter weaved through six Cougars players, and stopped right in front of Racimo, nudging a shot past him.

“It wasn’t only me,” Rotter said. “Yeah, I started going, and they were a little disorganized, … but we all made a good run there.”

The Lions piled it on after that. Gustavo Portillo made it 2-0 in the 37th minute — again on a close-quarters shot.

In the 59th minute, Duvan Vaca-Trujillo made one pivot right and dashed up the right seam, only stopping to tap a shot past Racimo for the Lions’ third goal.

Erik DeAnda, the team’s leader in scoring, changed it up five minutes later. He blasted a 20-yard shot over everyone’s head high into the back of the net for the final goal.

It was DeAnda’s 24th goal of the season.

“The guys did a fantastic job,” Auburn Mountainview coach Jason Shrader said.

It was obvious that a big part of the Lions’ game plan was to closely mark Capital standout Nigel El-Sokkary. Mohamed Jeele, Zvia Chikusa and Anthony Corado-Flores were largely responsible for El-Sokkary only getting off three shots on goal.

“The back defense had one of its best games,” Shrader said.

Yet, El-Sokkary easily could have gotten the Cougars (12-3) on the scoreboard first. His pass set up Scott Penner’s direct 10-yard blast that hit the crossbar in the ninth minute.

Two minutes later, El-Sokkary had his scoring chance, but he hit the right post. After that, Capital’s next shot came 55 minutes later.

Lindbergh 2, Fife 1: This is the matchup everybody was waiting for, a gritty battle between two soccer powerhouses. With only three combined losses between the two squads, it wasn’t a game to be missed.

The match between Lindbergh and Fife lived up to its lofty billing. In the end, the Eagles prevailed.

The hero for Lindbergh (16-0-1) was James Farrell. He kept his squad undefeated by scoring both goals and putting Fife (13-3-1) in a hole it couldn’t overcome.

“It was a very competitive game,” Fife coach Tony Crudo said following the loss. “When you have a tournament that started with 18 teams, the final game should be a real barnburner. Both teams had chances to score; heroes stepped up. It was just a great game.”

But the goal of the game came from Fife’s Ray Sigala. He rocketed home a free kick from 35 yards away, slamming it in the top corner. Crudo called it the goal of the year.

“Even the other team was in shock,” he said. “Once a year that happens. It was a beautiful free kick that was in the very upper corner of the goal.

“Untouchable.”

Fife entered the game following a 5-0 drubbing of Liberty two days earlier, but was not able to replicate the same offense against a stingy Lindbergh squad that has yielded only eight goals the entire season.

Despite the loss, the Trojans are headed to the 2A state tournament after finishing second in the West Central/SeaKing Bi-district tournament. Crudo likes his team’s chances in state.

“If we aren’t prepared after a game like this, nothing can prepare us,” he said. “There is no way the next game can be any tougher than this. It was a real battle.”

Lindbergh captured the district tournament en route to the 2A state tournament.

Fife’s opponent, as well as the location of its first game, is to be announced.

BASEBALL

Sequim 6, River Ridge 2: The Wolves scored early runs and coasted to a win over the Hawks, securing a place in the district championship game.

Their early lead came on three runs in the first inning and another in the second. River Ridge was only able to scatter three hits and couldn’t muster the offense for a comeback.

River Ridge still advances to the state tournament after its fourth-place finish in the district.

Centralia 7, Black Hills 4: The Wolves (10-13) scored four runs in the first inning, but the Tigers (13-11) came back to pick up the victory.

Centralia scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to go up by three.

Garrett Hicks led the way offensively for the Tigers, driving in three runs on a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Christian Peters had a nice day, going 2 for 3 and scoring two runs.

Black Hills’ season comes to an end with this loss.

Timberline 3, Jefferson 0: Austin Whalen was nearly untouchable against the Raiders (10-12), pitching the Blazers (14-7) to victory.

Whalen threw a complete-game one-hitter. The senior had three strikeouts on the day. Cody Kartman drove in a pair of runs to lead the Blazers offensively.

Timberline moves on to play for the fifth seed in the state tournament.

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Auburn Mountainview blanks Capital, 4-0, for first district boys soccer title."