Seton Catholic has lengthy been a troublesome place to get a win for the Columbia-White Salmon boys soccer crew.
Technically, the Bruins didn’t get a win on Thursday. However in a a lot greater image, they obtained an enormous win for this system.
A header by Damian Sanchez off a free kick within the 63rd minute gave the Bruins a 1-1 draw towards Seton Catholic, propelling Columbia to the Trico League championship.
“It feels good,” senior Ulices Huerta stated of the league title. “It’s the first time in our high school careers. Seton has won it three times in a row, so it feels good to take it from them.”
All-Area Sports activities Awards Ceremony
The Columbian will likely be internet hosting its second annual All-Area Sports activities Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at The Hilton Vancouver Washington.
The occasion will likely be 6-8 p.m. Admission is $15 and consists of foods and drinks. Tickets can be found now by clicking on hyperlink.
Columbia entered Thursday with a three-point lead over Seton within the Trico standings. A draw would give the Bruins the league crown.
However early within the second half, it appeared like Seton would possibly steal the league title from the Bruins.
Zeek Valencia-Mendez hit an extended free kick that slipped previous a number of gamers, and Easton Ross transformed for a objective for a 1-0 lead for Seton.
The objective was much more unbelievable contemplating that Ross was not anticipated to play Thursday after the junior suffered a deep minimize in his leg throughout an accident at dwelling earlier within the week.
Along with his proper leg closely wrapped in a black bandage, Ross discovered himself within the good spot to place Seton forward.
However with the urging of a giant group of followers within the stands, the Bruins let the deficit shake them.
“When the game was 0-0 at halftime, I told the boys ‘Look at the stands. All of these families, this community, they’re behind you,’ ” Columbia coach Gio Mangana stated. “And it was like that every away game, not just today. They’ve been supportive all season long.”
Within the 63rd minute, Cole Wooding hit an extended free kick in entrance of the Seton objective, the place Sanchez deflected the ball with a header previous Seton goalkeeper Dylan Hamilton to tie the match.
“I just told (Wooding) to look for me,” Sanchez stated. “And I knew I was going to win it. I almost had a second goal, too, but unfortunately that didn’t go in. But it felt amazing.”
Columbia-White Salmon (13-0-3) now heads into the district playoffs because the Trico League’s No. 1 seed. Seton Catholic (12-1-3) is the No. 2 seed, and each groups will open the playoffs with dwelling matches on Saturday.
“We ended the league undefeated, so it feels good,” Huerta stated. “We had a couple of injuries, still have a couple of injuries, but we got through them. It feels good to play as a team.”
Magana added: “This is a tough environment to come to and get a good result here. I’m glad the boys were able to come back from being down 1-0. It says a lot about the boys, and the program and this team.”
