SEQUIM — Svetlio Hurd’s post-goal celebration said it all.
So did the look of relief on Port Angeles boys soccer coach Chris Saari’s face after his team’s Olympic League match against Sequim came to an end.
Hurd bent in a dramatic corner kick goal in the 65th minute of Friday night’s showdown of archrivals, vaulting the Riders to a 1-0 victory that was six years in the making.
Players rushed onto the field in a wild celebration after the final whistle blew, jumping up and down in a circle and hugging each other as if they had just won the World Cup.
To Hurd, a four-year senior who has endured dozens of losses with the Riders, it almost was.
The supposed “Curse of Chris Saari” had come to an end.
“This was like the Super Bowl for me,” Hurd said. “It feels really great.
“Sequim is a hard team to play. We’ve lost to them a lot in my four years here. I’m just happy we won this year.”
So, too, was Saari.
Not only was it his first win against the Wolves in his six years as Rider head coach, it was also a critical victory for his team’s playoff chances.
Port Angeles (3-3-1 in league, 4-7-1 overall) moved within two points of the Olympic Trojans for the league’s third and final 3A playoff spot with the win.
If the Riders can somehow pass Olympic, they could earn the team’s first postseason bid since 2002.
“We’ve always found a way to lose against Sequim,” said Saari, whose best showing against the Wolves was a tie in 2007.
“We finally got over the hump.
“We played them strong [in a 2-1 loss earlier this season]. We’ve improved a lot, and it seems like they are struggling a little bit right now.
“Sometimes it just goes your way. Today, it finally did.”
Indeed, the Riders caught a bit of a break with Hurd’s goal.
The senior midfielder said he was actually looking to center the ball for a header on goal.
Yet somehow his kick, a low line drive, bent around the post, deflected off Sequim goalkeeper Byron Boots’ hands and bounced into the net.
“I hoped someone was going to get a header, but it ended up going in,” Hurd said. “I’m happy. It’s a goal.”
Hurd immediately bolted toward the Rider sideline after the goal, raising his arms and pointing to his teammates as the Rider faithful went into a frenzy.
“I just wanted to pump everyone up,” Hurd said of the celebration.
The goal capped a furious attack for Port Angeles that saw a pair of shots hit the post, one in the first half from Luis Neumeier and another in the second by Anthony Brandon.
Sequim (3-4, 6-4) had a few near misses of its own.
Junior forward Nick Camporini’s breakaway shot went into the side of the net.
Michael Lee had a nice look at the goal a few minutes later on a Camporini centering pass, but Rider goalkeeper Jack Doryland swooped in to block the point blank shot at the last second.
The Wolves mounted a spirited attack in the last 15 minutes as well.
But their best chance, a long shot from Aldo Garcia in the 78th minute, deflected off the post and out of play.
“I had the feeling we were going to get a goal,” Sequim coach Dave Brasher said. “We had some great chances.
“We just didn’t seem to bring it as much as they did. That’s the best I’ve seen them play, the first 20 minutes of the second half where they were winning balls in the middle.”
The loss was the Wolves’ third in a row, putting them at 2-4-0 since starting the season 4-0-0.
“I think we’re still thinking we’re better than we are,” Brasher said. “We need to get back to basics and get our confidence back and get the feeling of being able to win again.
“It’s like everything we try now is not working.”
Sequim heads to Olympic on Tuesday, while the Riders host second-place Kingston on Monday night at Civic Field.
Port Angeles 1, Sequim 0
Port Angeles 0 1 — 1
Sequim 0 0 — 0
Scoring Summary
First half: No scoring.
Second Half: 1, Port Angeles, Hurd, 65th minute.