Class 1A/B boys soccer Archbishop Murphy captures state title

UNIVERSITY PLACE — After falling behind in the Class 1A/B boys state soccer final yesterday, the Archbishop Thomas Murphy players kept their heads.

And junior forward Chris Danford put his to particularly good use.

Danford scored the tying and winning goals, both on headers, as Archbishop Murphy came back to stun defending champion Charles Wright Academy 2-1 in the championship match at frigid Curtis Stadium.

The victory gave ATM (18-1-1) its first state title since 1994, when the school was known as Holy Cross, and sent the players into a wild celebration that included spraying each other with bottles of sparkling cider.

"I usually don't score that well with my head," said Danford, who converted on a 35-yard free kick by Alex Ferris in the first half and on a corner kick by Ferris in the second. "To score two with my head on the same night, especially in the state championship, that's insane."

Charles Wright (17-5) was bidding for a second straight title under coach Tony Chursky, former Seattle Sounders goalkeeper. But after jumping ahead 1-0 on Shane Drew's point-blank rebound score in the 26th minute, the Tarriers of Tacoma held the lead for only 29 seconds before Danford answered with his first goal.

"When two evenly matched teams go head-to-head, it's usually the set plays that make the difference," Chursky said. "They converted on their opportunities."

The first score was especially crucial, coming as it did before the fans had even settled into their seats after Charles Wright's opening tally.

Drew pounced on the loose ball just outside the goal line after Wildcats goalkeeper Alex Ungs stepped out of the net to deflect a shot by Aaron Wham.

Less than half a minute later, Danford went high to get his head on Ferris' bomb over the defensive wall and redirect the ball just under the crossbar.

"That was a big momentum shift," ATM coach Jon Echols said. "Soccer is such an emotional game. They had just taken the lead and had it, and we took it right back."

Consolation game

Seattle Christian 3, Trout Lake 0 (3rd-4th places) — After suffering its only loss of the season in Friday's semifinals, perennial contender Seattle Christian bounced back to claim third place with a shutout. Jon Jacobs picked up the shutout in goal and John Finn, Blake Lang and Kyle Haynes each scored goals for the Warriors (14-1-1). The four-time state champions were denied an eighth championship berth in Friday's loss to Archbishop Murphy.

It was the second straight loss for Trout Lake (14-5), the only Class B school and the smallest of the schools left in the final four.