The Mount Si High School boys’ soccer team continued its strong start last week, and the new kid in town once again made his mark as the Wildcats outlasted Liberty.
Doug Silvius scored the game’s lone goal, his second of the season, and in as many games, as Mount Si won 1-0 in overtime. Silvius’ goal came in the 88th minute, off a great pass from teammate Willie Jensen.
“It was a good ball by Willie; it played right through the middle and I just put it in,” Silvius said, as the Wildcats moved to 2-0-1 on the season. “That could have gone either way. It was a hard-fought battle and that’s what you always get out of Liberty. I’m always concerned when we play the Liberty Patriots because they always get a strong effort from their kids every night,” said Mount Si coach Darren Brown.
The Wildcats dominated much of the early portion of the game, getting excellent offensive pressure that resulted in a number of quality scoring chances. As the game went on though, the momentum shifted Liberty’s way, and it was the Patriots who got many of those same excellent opportunities late in the contest. Nothing, however, went in during the 80-minute regulation period, sending the game into overtime for the second straight contest.
The first overtime came and went with no goals scored, but Liberty continued to maintain the pressure. It stayed that way into the second overtime, before the Wildcats took over and got opportunities to get it done, which happened with Silvius’ goal.
The game was physical, with officials staying busy most of the evening. There were, however, two controversial no-calls in the game of Patriot fouls that would have likely resulted in Wildcat penalty kick attempts had they been called, since the incidents in question occurred in the penalty area near the net.
Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Herman was pleased with his efforts; he earned the winning goal. He believes, however, that there is room for improvement. “I thought I played pretty well so far, but I’ve got a few things to work on,” Herman said. He and junior Cody Tipton shared in the shutout in net for Mount Si.
The Wildcats traveled to Bellevue Friday and played their third straight overtime game; this one ended in a tie. A penalty kick goal by Mount Si’s Adam Baumgardner in the 72nd minute forced the extra session, which ended with the Wildcats and the Wolverines in a 1-1 draw. The penalty kick came as the result of a Bellevue foul in the penalty area on the Wildcats’ Kevin Isackson, back for this contest after sitting out the Liberty game serving a one-game suspension following a red card ejection against Skyline March 14. Liam Kelly scored the lone Bellevue goal in the 54th minute.
It is a bit early to be talking postseason, but with the mildly surprising strong start for this team, and Silvius’ role in that, he thinks the team could go far. “I think we can go to state. We’re a good team and people don’t expect us to be good and we’re surprising everybody,” Silvius said.
Mount Si, which remained unbeaten following the Bellevue game, played Sammamish Monday, and is off Wednesday. Friday, they head to Interlake to meet the Saints. The Wildcats swept the season series in 2007 from Interlake, but the Saints this season have a veteran team, led by senior goalkeeper Daniel Astudillo and forward Nathan McGuire, who scored a pair of goals against the Wildcats last season. Game time at Interlake High School’s stadium in Bellevue Friday is 7:30 p.m.
