As the lyrics to the famous 1960s song by The Shirelles goes, “Mama said there’ll be days like this.”
The line couldn’t hold truer for the Skyline soccer team Tuesday night as the first-place Spartans dropped a 2-0 contest to a Redmond team that was sitting at the bottom of the standings.
“The league’s really unpredictable, there’s a lot of strong teams so the challenge is always being up every night and getting those points when they’re there for the taking,” head coach Don Braman said. “Tonight, it just didn’t work out the way we wanted it to.”
Despite out-shooting the Mustangs 8-4 in the first half and 13-10 for the game, Skyline was unable to convert offensive opportunities. Redmond goalkeeper Tyler Albin made a handful of impressive saves, while Skyline’s other shots missed just inches wide.
“We came out with some good energy the first 20 (minutes) or so, created a lot of chances, we just didn’t get them in,” Braman said.
Redmond, on the other hand, made the best of its few first-half opportunities. The Mustang’s leading scorer, Tyler Bennett, picked up a ball the Spartans failed to clear deep in Skyline territory. He made a series of moves, before booting the ball with his left foot passed goalkeeper Steven Pankiewicz. The score came in the 38th minute, giving Redmond a 1-0 halftime lead.
The Mustangs tacked on an insurance goal in the 74th minute when Shawn Cooley knocked in a deflection off a diving save from Pankiewicz.
Skyline still has possession of the top spot in the KingCo 4A, now sporting a 5-2 league and 8-3-1 overall record. Bothell is also 5-2 in league, but the Spartans hold the tiebreaker after winning a head-to-head match earlier this season.
With four games left to play, Braman knows his team is still in a great position. He also realizes the Spartans will have to make a few adjustments down the stretch if they hope to lock up the top spot.
“We’re a young team mentally, and we need to realize that when it doesn’t happen, we need to keep working after it,” he said.
Skyline next hits the field at 7:30 p.m., Friday at home against Garfield (4-2-1, 7-2-3).
Issaquah fends off Woodinville
Issaquah struck quickly Tuesday night and held on for a 2-1 home victory over Woodinville.
The Eagles struck in the 3rd minute when Michael Axelson knocked in a goal off an assist from Carter Michell.
Brandon Bergfalk struck just moments later, scoring off an assist from Quinn Grisham in the 10th minute.
Woodinville scored right before the half, in the 38th minute, but that’s where the scoring ended for both teams.
Issaquah improved to 4-2-1 and 6-5-1 overall.
Eastlake blasted by Bothell
Bothell’s offense erupted in a 5-2 victory over Eastlake Tuesday night in Bothell.
The Cougars received goals from five different players, getting their first score from Brandon Rise in the 13th minute. Eastlake tied the game on a Nick Rudella goal in the 21st minute, but it was all Eastlake from there.
The Cougars scored two more goals before the half for a 3-1 halftime advantage.
Eastlake scored its second goal on a Renato Bandeira penalty kick.
Eastlake, which hosts Woodinville at 7:30 p.m., Friday, dropped to 3-2-2 in league and 4-3-3 overall with the loss.
