Fife soccer can’t clinch state berth in PKs; heads to do-or-die match Thursday

It was a familiar story for coach Tony Crudo and the Fife High School boys soccer team.

Regulation and two overtime periods ended in yet another tie, the seventh tie of the season.

Except this game had to have a winner.

Freshman forward Leandro Anaya sealed it for Highline in a shootout that ended 5-4 and made Fife’s road to the state tournament that much more difficult.

“We fell a little short, but the guys worked really hard,” Crudo said. “We were focused, we worked as a team. They did a great job. I was real proud of them.”

Fife now faces Bremerton in a winner-to-state, loser-out match at 7 p.m. Thursday at Franklin Pierce Stadium.

Omar Carillo scored off of a slick pass from Bryan Flores giving the Trojans the lead 10 minutes into the second half.

The play was set up by senior midfielder Ruben Acevado who found Flores with a chip pass. Carillo came streaking in wide and when Flores crossed the ball to him the junior midfielder hammered the ball off the inside of the near post.

“It meant a lot,” Carillo said of his 11th goal of the season. “We have struggled against them so for us to be able to do that was a great accomplishment.”

In their last meeting, Highline beat Fife 2-0.

The lead didn’t last long for Fife.

Ten minutes later the Trojans were called for a handball in their own penalty box.

Miguel Salcedo made no mistake, blasting the ball past a diving David Silva, knotting the game at one goal a piece.

Overtime ended scoreless and so the game went to penalty kicks.

Flores, Axel Mejia and Grant Cox converted on the Trojans first three shots, but the Pirates also found the back of the net.

Then the Pirates goalkeeper Kevin Ortega came up with the save against the Fife’s Jack Madsen.It proved to be the edge Highline needed and eventually set up Anaya to put the game away.

“We played good,” Carillo said. “They (Highline) got the best of it, but we just have to fight harder and not give up.”

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 12:31 AM with the headline "Fife soccer can’t clinch state berth in PKs; heads to do-or-die match Thursday."