In a KingCo 4A matchup featuring two schools separated by a mere 1.3 miles the Eastlake Wolves boys soccer team reigned victorious against the Skyline Spartans.
Eastlake survived a formidable second half Skyline rally, earning a 1-0 victory on April 7 at Skyline High School in Sammamish. The Wolves improved its overall record to 5-3 with the victory while Skyline dropped to 5-2-2 overall. Eastlake junior forward Bakary Sey scored the only goal of the game in the fifth minute of play. Sey carried the ball up the right side of the field before unleashing a perfect shot which found the back of the net. The game featured inclement weather conditions including a steady downpour of rain and consistent heavy winds. Eastlake had the wind at its back in the first half and took advantage of it.
“We knew if we got one [goal] we would be alright,” Eastlake head coach Adam Gervis said.
In the second half Skyline had the wind at its back and created ample opportunities to tie the game. Skyline had multiple corner-kicks and had several shots on goal but couldn’t convert. Skyline head coach Don Braman was disappointed his team couldn’t send the game into overtime with a tying goal.
“We just could not get a ball in tonight. Sometimes that happens unfortunately. The shot count doesn’t matter at the end of the game,” Braman said.
Depsite Skyline’s dominance in the second half, Eastlake nearly added another goal in the 78th minute of play but were denied on a great save by Skyline goalie Kenneth Symmes. Gervis was glad his squad was able to fend off Skyline’s attempt to tie the game in the second half.
“It was a team effort. Everybody pulled together and did a wonderful job of working for each other. That is what it is all about,” Gervis said. “It was a huge game for us. We haven’t won here since we won a state title [2011 season]. This is a big win for us. Everyone did their part and put in their shift. That is what you got to do.”
Braman believes his team has time to get back on track. Skyline’s next seven games are against KingCo opponents.
“We get to play everybody again. It is all a matter for us to to get healthy and stay with it. We have to find that little something extra to make sure we get that finish when we need it,” he said.
