Mount Si High School’s boys’ soccer team was under the Friday night lights last night hosting Bothell, and it looked coming in the Wildcats would have their way with the Cougars considering Bothell is in last place in Kingco 4A. But the visitors had other ideas 10 minutes in forcing Mount Si to have to fight back. And fight back they did scoring a home win.
Goals from Zach Ellis, Cade Heyting and Zach Ramsey paced the Wildcats to the 3-2 result over the Cougars. “We’ve been struggling to play our way the last couple of games and I think it has affected our confidence and I think we know that if we play our way which is to get the ball on the ground and use our strengths in midfield then we are unstoppable,” Mount Si coach Ben Tomlisson said.
Mount Si got out of the blocks strong, getting a couple of great chances to score early in the game, but the Wildcats made a couple of mistakes defensively one right after another about 10 minutes in, and Bothell cashed those in for goals putting the Blue Train up 2-0 and Mount Si fans in a state of some disbelief. But the guys didn’t back down and went right to work.
First up was Ellis, who headed a free kick in for the finish in the 31st minute putting the Wildcats on the board, then Heyting did his thing about three minutes later with an absolute wicked laser from mid-range tying the score at 2-2. “Well, (the Bothell) player stepped in too far and we got a ball from the outside to the middle, (and I) had like loads of time so I just took the shot,” he said, and it got the crowd all fired up. “He’s possibly our best all-around athlete,” Tomlisson said of the Mount Si junior midfielder. “His athleticism to take that shot and the confidence to do it and I just love his all-around game.”
With the game tied at halftime, this allowed Tomlisson to make necessary adjustments knowing that the sheet was effectively back to square one and the team was in position to win. So, Mount Si got a number of great opportunities to score including ones that went off both the top crossbar and right goalpost, before Bothell committed what appeared to be a real hard foul against a Wildcat offensive player in the Cougar penalty area, a foul that looked hard enough for officials to have carded the Bothell player but no card was issued. Card or no, the foul being where it was allowed for a penalty kick. Mount Si’s senior team captain Ramsey, as is seemingly custom for him, was assigned the task to get the job done, and he did, putting Mount Si up to stay in the 59th minute. Bothell had chances but the Wildcat defense held steady the rest of the way and slammed the door shut on another Kingco win.
Tomlisson was pleased with how the team responded to the early 2-0 hole. “To see them react in the way they did and create chances was really pleasing,” the coach said.
Mount Si heads to Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell this coming Tuesday to meet Inglemoor. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Snoqualmie Valley Sports Journal 