PORT ANGELES — Bremerton scored on a penalty kick in the final minutes to edge Port Angeles 3-2 and put a sour note on the Roughriders’ boys soccer senior night.
“It was a really tough loss for PA with some controversial officiating, but the Knights deserve credit for rallying back after being down 2-0 and playing short a player for 75 minutes,” coach Chris Saari said.
It was all Port Angeles early as the Riders held a 2-0 advantage and were up a man inside of the first 15 minutes.
Freshman Matthew Miller was fouled in the box from behind for a penalty kick in the fourth minute and Keane McClain converted the opportunity to the goalkeepers’ right for a 1-0 lead. The foul was severe enough to boot the Bremerton player and give Port Angeles a man advantage.
In the ninth minute, Jacob Miller fielded a pass from his younger brother and placed a driven shot to the far post that deflected off the post and in for a 2-0 lead.
But Bremerton figured out a formation and found the net on a free kick in the 24th minute. The Knights tied the score just before halftime when a dangerous cross into the box led to an open net goal.
“In the second half, both teams battled back and forth creating chances to score,” Saari said.
Caden White came in clutch late for the Riders.
Bremerton had gotten in behind the Rider defense and seemed destined to score when Marcus Hogan saved the first shot. The rebound was sitting in front of the PA goal with a Bremerton player charging in to finish it when Caden White slid in from the side and made a goal-saving tackle for the Riders.
In the 74th minute, a Bremerton player dribbled past several Port Angeles defenders on the left side of the penalty box. His final dribble move led to a foul which resulted in the game winning penalty kick.
Matthew Miller was the team’s offensive player of the match, while White earned defensive praise and Jacob Miller and McClain were selected for their work in transition.
Port Angeles (6-7-0) hosts Kingston (6-7-0) today at noon with playoff seeding on the line.
Kingston 2, Sequim 1
SEQUIM — The Wolves fell in a penalty kick shootout to close out their season.
Sequim’s goal came from Josh Alcaraz.
Head coach Juan Carlos Cisneros said the Wolves could not convert their scoring opportunities in the shootout.
Sequim, with a roster made up mainly of sophomores and juniors, finished the season 4-10-0.
“A quick reflection based on our record and results of our matches says we competed and gave ourselves a chance to get a positive result,” Cisneros said of the season. “[I’m] confident this group will compete for a top four finish [in the Olympic League] next season.”