The dancing began early for the Union boys soccer workforce on Saturday.
“You know, kids are funny,” Union coach Jason Moore mentioned. “I heard them say ‘Now we can go and enjoy prom!’ Like they weren’t going to anyway.”
It would definitely be a happier promenade for the Titans after they clinched a berth to the state playoffs with a 2-0 win Saturday over Sumner within the 4A bi-district playoffs.
It’s not arduous to know why the Titans had been relieved to win. They had been in the identical scenario final season, opening bi-district with a winner-to-state recreation that they misplaced and ultimately missed out on a state journey.
“This feels great,” senior Akeem Archer mentioned. “Last year, we went out, tried our best. We got smacked a little bit and ended up losing. But this year, I think we really wanted it. I think we really dug in, wanted to win, wanted to go to prom and have fun. … So I think it meant a lot to us.”
Saturday’s playoff was a rematch of a non-league recreation Union performed at Sumner on April 12, a recreation the Spartans gained 1-0.
The massive distinction within the rematch was Union struck early when Archer drove in a shot from 30 yards out within the fifteenth minute.
“I got the ball, got a good touch,” Archer mentioned. “It’s like … (teammate Canaan Moore) said, ‘Once you hit it, you know it’s going to go in.’ And I knew it was going to go in once I saw it curve.”
Sumner introduced heavy stress the remainder of the primary half, however the Union backline and goalkeeper Jesus Gutierrez stored the Spartans from scoring.
Early within the second half, sophomore Marco Abad gave Union a 2-0 lead on bicycle-style kick in entrance of the Sumner purpose.
“I saw the ball high and the goal was (behind me), so I just (did) a bicycle and whatever happens,” Abad mentioned.
What occurred was one of many Titans’ greatest objectives of the yr, coach Jason Moore mentioned.
“He’s had like three of the best goals this season,” Moore mentioned of Abad. “That was probably the top. … But we talked about having your moment. Canaan had a moment. Akeem had a moment. And that was Marco’s moment right there. And when we all have good moments, good things happen.”
The Titans have been piling up their moments since that April 12 loss to Sumner.
That loss was adopted by a 2-0 setback to Camas to open league play.
“After that first loss to Camas, I told the boys ‘OK, now every game is playoff game,’ ” Moore mentioned. “And now we’ve won seven in a row.”
Subsequent up for the 4A Larger St. Helens League champion Titans will face Puyallup within the bi-district semifinals Tuesday in Sumner.
“It doesn’t get any easier from here,” Moore mentioned. “But I think the guys have learned that they can compete with some really good teams.”
