Prep boys soccer: W.F. West falls in district title game to Columbia River

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VANCOUVER, Wash. — Speed throughout the field. Strength in winning challenges. Tactically one step ahead.

There’s a reason why the W.F. West High School boys soccer team was facing an uphill battle on Thursday night. No team outside of R.A. Long in the season opener had beaten Columbia River.

A 17-match win streak was just the tip of the iceberg. The 2023 Class 2A state champions were punishing teams offensively with consistent outputs of five, six or even eight goals a night. They also, since triumphing over Ridgefield 5-4 three weeks ago, have let up four total goals.

“There’s no weak spots on that team,” Bearcats head coach Allen Anderson said. “Their ability to pass and move the ball, at times, is faster than we can react. That is not something we have faced all year.”

From the opening kick to the final buzzer, W.F. West realized quickly who the king of District 4 is.

The Rapids scored 55 seconds into the match and a relentless night of 26 total shots fueled them to their fourth straight district title with a 3-0 triumph over the Bearcats at John O’Rourke Field on their high school campus.

All of the positive signs from the midfield generating chances – paced by Adrian Jaimes and out wide Moises Sanchez-Hernandez – were wiped away by Columbia River (18-1).

Those two never got comfortable. Sanchez-Hernandez had one onside run and cut back in, but the next pass didn’t connect. Jaimes was constantly double marked by the Rapids.

“We were kind of nervous because we know it is a hard team, we know the record,” senior Uzi Lopez Cruz said. “We didn't get the result we wanted, but we gave the effort and that’s all that matters.”

Anderson felt W.F. West (10-9) was “one pass away” from making something happen in the attacking third. Alex Mathuzima also created a chance, only for it to be stolen, within the opening 20 minutes.

“In all honesty, for 80 minutes, it felt like there was a purple shirt everywhere the ball went," Anderson added.

Goalkeeper Noel Montenegro was far from bored.

He came away with 12 total saves – six per half – and was diving both ways plus leaping during corner and free kicks. Columbia River’s Mason Renner scored in the opening minute and on a header off a corner in the 43rd.

Jaydon Muodzi scored in the 38th minute on a short corner. JP Guzman had both assists on the set piece tallies.

“It is hard to generate an attack when you’re dug deep in your own defense half time after time,” Anderson said. “It was not our best night defending set pieces. That’s definitely something we need to be better at.”

Still, W.F. West was stopping nearly everything down 1-0. Colin Bradley was the line of defense on a deflection up in the air and the senior defender kicked the ball out for a corner.

Play with fire for too long and you’ll get burned. Eventually, the Bearcats felt the flame.

“We weren’t prepared for it,” Lopez Cruz said. “It caught us off guard.”

Even in the setback, it sets the highest district finish in program history. After last year’s run to the state tournament before losing in the opening round, the goals were reset to accomplish something higher.

The road was twisty, but the final destination was reached.

“Just getting this far, I’m super proud,” Lopez Cruz said.

W.F. West will find out who it faces in the opening round on Sunday. It was the 14th seed last spring and trekked to North Kitsap, facing a top-four seed. Anderson is in the realm of putting his team in that 13-through-16 seed range.

Yet he feels this year’s group is better prepared.

“Menatlly, they’re much more prepared,” Anderson said. “I’m hoping that tonight’s experience will now feed into next week and we’ll have a better full 80 minutes.”