The postseason might be still be two weeks away, and the 2A EvCo title might be out of their control, but the W.F. West boys soccer team still found itself in trophy-clinching time Friday at Tiger Stadium and rose to the challenge, beating Centralia 1-0 to bring The Chronicle Cup back to Chehalis for the first time.
“It means quite a bit,” WFW coach Allen Anderson said. “They’ve been looking forward to it since last year, since they lost it. It’s something they talk about in the summertime when we’re out doing tournaments. It never leaves their mind. It’s kind of a special moment, and both teams having this opportunity is something cool.”
Last year saw the Tigers and Bearcats tie on the field, followed by a shootout to tie the season series and a second to give Centralia the trophy. This time around, W.F. West came in with a 3-1 lead on aggregate, and the name of the game was playing through nerves and holding on.
And while the Bearcats have gotten experience playing against high-level opponents all season — they just capped off their second back-to-back stretch against undefeated Aberdeen and defending league champs Tumwater — Friday gave them a different sort of preparation for the postseason.
“It’s actually really, really helpful,” Anderson said. “You can’t replicate that kind of intensity and pressure in a match all the time.”
After a tense, goalless first half, W.F. West made a switch in its formation, moving Cameron Kunz off the backline into the midfield. Soon, the Bearcats were pushing possession forward, and made it count just seven minutes in when Cody Pennington cut the ball back into the penalty area for Jeremy Thompson, who made a move on the ball and slotted it home from inside 10 yards.
“He’s got incredible footskills,” Anderson said of Thompson. “He’s so comfortable with the ball at his feet, and he’s so deceptive. He just moves so fast, and he can rip a shot when his body is at any angle, which can really catch keepers off guard.”
With the narrow lead intact, Anderson moved the numbers back, and while Centralia got a boost immediately after the goal, trying to push for an equalizer, the Tigers couldn’t do much to trouble Hayden Sciera in net. Soon, the Bearcats were holding onto the lead with the ball at their feet and numbers behind it, as the clock ran and ran.
“They were able to keep the ball away from us,” Centralia coach Noel Vazquez said.
Centralia’s best run came to open the game, and even after W.F. West settled into a greater share of the possession, the Tigers had their cracks at counterattacks, getting the ball up to Leo Perez with space in the midfield.
But every time Perez got the ball at his feet, he found himself going up against as many as four Bearcat defenders by himself, and the numbers won every time.
“Our guys did a really good job of transitioning back and protecting the back line,” Anderson said. “We take a lot of pride in our defense.”
The Bearcats have now won six of their past seven matches, including three shutouts; they’ve now kept six clean sheets this season.
W.F. West will head into the final full week of the regular season in second place in the 2A EvCo; the Bearcats will take on Black Hills next Tuesday. Centralia will play Tuesday in a non-league game against Raymond-South Bend, then go to Black Hills next Friday in what amounts to a must-win for the Tigers.
