5 minute read
Top Dawgs
NCAA TITLE RUN
MEN'S SOCCER rolled through one of the best seasons in Husky history
BY BOB SHERWIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Even though the irrepressible Washington Huskies soccer team came up empty in their NCAA championship match against Clemson, the season was as full as any in school history.
The Huskies (18-2-2), the No. 2 seed in the 48team tournament field, fell to No. 8-seeded Clemson (16-5-2), in the title match, 2-0, on Dec. 12 in Cary, N.C. A game-opening, ultra-quick goal by the Tigers’ Isaiah Reid might have been the difference.
UW keeper Sam Fowler attempted a clearing kick inside the 18, but it fell awkwardly off his foot and Reid deflected it. Reid then covered the ball and quickly shot it into the open net after just 27 seconds had expired.
Fowler (Issaquah, Wash.) had entered the tournament — combined with backup Andrew Morrison (Houston) — with the best save percentage (0.86) and shutout percentage (0.625) in the country.
The goal altered the game plan for both teams, as Huskies were forced to gradually press forward, especially in the second half, while Clemson covered the back end more efficiently with the luxury of a lead. The Tigers were reinforced when Reid scored a second goal, on a header in the 15th minute.
JUNIOR Charlie Ostrom
FRESHMAN Ilijah Paul
JUNIOR Kendall Burks
"We did a lot of things right, we just needed one little crack," UW coach Jamie Clark told the media after the game. “Credit to Clemson's defense because they hung in there tight, and they did just enough to withstand a lot of pressure in that second half."
Despite the setback, it closed out a historic season for the Huskies, who reached the College Cup for the first time in school history — with their best record in history. UW had opened the season with a record 12 straight victories, won six matches against ranked opponents, five wins in overtime, and were, for the week of Oct. 18, ranked No. 1 in the country.
Washington also had two players, center back Ryan Sailor (Colorado) and midfielder Dylan Teves DAWGS (Renton), named first-team All Americans. Sailor finished second on the team with six goals and two assists. Teves lead the team with 12 goals and five assists.
JUNIOR Lucas Meeks
SENIOR Achille Robin
SENIOR Ryan Sailor
FRESHMAN Kalani Kossa-Rienzi
SOPHOMORE Christian Soto
FRESHMAN Ilijah Paul
It is believed that Teves is the first player in collegiate history to have back-to-back hat tricks in postseason play. He opened the tournament with three goals against Portland in a 3-1 victory. He followed that with three more against powerful Indiana, including the game-winner in overtime, 3-2.
It was a confidence-building victory over Indiana, eight-time NCAA champion and seven-time runner-up, including last season. The Hoosiers jumped ahead 1-0 and 2-1 but Teves responded each time, helping the Huskies push it into overtime. He closed out the comeback victory with a goal in the 97th minute, his fifth game-winning goal this season.
It just got tougher for the Huskies in the elite eight against then unbeaten Saint Louis, a 10time NCAA champion. Gio Miglietti (California) scored two first-half goals and the Husky defense clamped down in the second half to advance to the College Cup for the first time in their 59-year soccer existence.
Georgetown, ranked No. 1 in the country earlier in the season, faced the Huskies in the semifinals. Lucas Meek (Mercer Island) and Charlie Ostrem (Richmond Beach) each scored a first-half goal. For Ostrem, who curled in a beauty from outside the box and into the right corner, it was just his second goal of the season (along with a team-leading nine assists) to propel the Huskies into the finals against the Tigers.
Earlier in the tournament, Clemson had knocked off No. 1-seeded Oregon State, on penalty kicks. The Beavers were the only other team to beat the Huskies during the season, Oct. 22 on a penalty kick in the 87th minute, 3-2.
It meant that the fate-favored Tigers won the national title by knocking off the No. 1, No. 2 and
