Class 4A boys soccer: Snohomish denied title in shootout

CAMAS — Richland's Cory Sinclair shook as he walked up to kick with the fate of a state boys soccer championship laying at his feet in penalty-kick shootout.

The Bombers' sophomore had been here before — and missed.

Sinclair didn't want to experience that empty feeling again, and he made sure he didn't when he nailed the winning penalty kick in the seventh round as Richland beat Snohomish 2-1 in an overtime shootout last night at Doc Harris Stadium.

The seldom-used kicker last took a kick in the first game of the season and his miss led to a shootout loss to Wenatchee. This time, he ended up at the bottom of a celebratory dogpile and his with a state-title trophy.

"That miss was the last shot I had in a PK," Sinclair said after the Bombers finished the season 17-3-0. "I also missed one at nationals with my premier team. When I walked up, I was kind of shaking. I knew I would make it, though.

"I knew I had to make it."

The loss sent Snohomish (16-2-3) home disappointed and denied the Panthers their second title in boys soccer. Snohomish, which won the state title in 2000, fell by a 5-4 count in the shootout.

Snohomish ended the season winning two of its last three games via shootout.

"We were confident," Panthers coach Dan Pingrey said. "But it was like us Friday. It was just a great job by their keeper."

The Panthers fell behind 2-1 and rallied for 4-3 lead after the first half of the sixth round. Garrett Stevens pulled the Bombers into a 4-4 in the second half of the sixth round and then Richland goalkeeper Jose Herrera stopped Snohomish keeper Ryan Cochran's PK shot to the lower right corner.

Herrera had two saves in the shootout and another shot by Snohomish banged off the crossbar.

That set the stage for Sinclair's redemption kick and Richland bagged its first state crown since it started its boys soccer program in 1987.

"The shootout is a flip of a coin and we happened to come out on top," Richland coach Octavio DoValle said.

Gig Harbor 3, Curtis 2, OT shootout (3rd-4th places) — Jarrett Vaucher nailed the winning penalty kick as the Tides (16-2-4) prevailed in nine rounds of overtime shootout.

After 80 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of overtime, Gig Harbor survived the penalty-kick shootout as Kevin Toth of Curtis bounced the Tacoma team's final kick off the top of the crossbar.

Tides goalkeeper Tally Hall, a senior bound for San Diego State, turned away three shootout kicks and Curtis keeper Alex Feliciano made two saves in shootout.

The Vikings' Nate Juvik blasted in a point-blank shot off a cross from John Reha in the 73rd minute to tie the game at 2-2 and force overtime.

Junior forward Ian Hooper scored on a rebound shot after hitting the left post, tapping home a goal that put Gig Harbor in front 2-1 in the 67th minute.

Curtis (17-2-3) entered the Final Four undefeated, but finished with two consecutive losses.