By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Energy!

It's important, in many ways, for many things, and, in sports, a team wants to play enthusiastically from the start. That trait breeds confidence and direction, like for Kennedy Catholic in its game against Highline in boys soccer -- a 3-1 win over the Pirates at Highline Memorial Tuesday.

The 3A Lancers improved to 2-0 in the Seamount League while the 2A Pirates dropped to 1-1, as these teams compete for the league title throughout the season but then play in separate 2A and 3A state tournaments.

Before the game's start versus the Pirates, it was the Lancers' players huddled together, kneeling. Maybe, just doing a prayer, but, together, at any rate, pumping each other up in the huddle. And, same thing at halftime, no kneeling then, but more cacophony of sounds being shouted.

"Energy, energy, energy," exclaimed one player at halftime, the Lancers up, 2-0, at the break after the first 40 minutes of play.

"Let's go, start the second half, strong," shouted another.

"No letdown,' said another, "One goal and they're back in it."

Who said "energy, energy, energy" in the huddle before start of the second half was asked the captains after the game.

"Those were all the captains' words," said Sawyer Ramsey, a senior captain on the Lancers.

"Yeah, yeah," said Griffin Mathews and Nathaniel Tolton, echoing Ramsey's comment. They are the other two Lancers' captains.

"So, everyone is going," said Tolton.

"Keep everyone focused," said Mathews.

"Lead the team by example," said Ramsey of this team that fought hard last season, getting to the state playoffs before a loss to Lakeside, 2-1, in the Round of eight.

So, from before the match even started, against the Pirates the Lancers, led by their captains, showed a cadence, rhythm, formation and confidence that proceeded to be carried out throughout the game. And, it's a good thing that the Lancers were so tuned in to the game, pre-game, because the Pirates' were no easy foe once the game started. Minus some momentary "goal" lapses by the Pirates' in this game, these two teams played toe-to-toe, pretty much, beginning, middle and end.

But, as aforementioned, the difference in this game's outcome was the Lancers' pre-game approach, and, energy, in huddles, to start the first half and second half. The Lancers' captains' inspired words did just that -- inspire.

As the referee blew the whistle to start the first half, Sawyer was yelling, "Hey, freshmen, be tough!"
This leadership seems well capable of supplanting the old for the Lancers, but this team lost a lot of good players from last season, 10 total, the captains said. Eight lost were seniors, plus a couple transferred.
So, for the Lancers, after Sawyer's fine-tuning battle cry to the frosh right before kickoff, came the screaming words from another Lancers' player just one minute into the match as players looked to be battling for a loose ball.

"Fight for it!" exclaimed Mathews.

Then, with only four minutes elapsed off the red, L.E.D. scoreboard clock, the Lancers' struck for a goal. The buildup to the energizing act began with senior Simon Thomas crossing the ball a long ways across the field perfectly left-to-right to where Cole Carden stood. And the ball didn't go to Carden's feet, but his head. Carden put full force into a header, and the ball smashed off his temple in the opposite direction. The ball sailed over the keeper's head, rushing from one side of goal to the other, the goalie unable to switch directions fast enough. The ball, with so much velocity, the Pirates' defender could only stick a foot out to block it from going in, almost on instinct. The ball shot off the defender's foot straight out to the waiting Griffin Mathews 10 yards out, trapping the ball. Boom. It was 1-0, Lancers.

"Simon Thomas crossed it, Cole got a flick on it," said Mathews. "It kind of fell to me. I put it in. Easy."
The first half shots-on-goal statisti for these two teams was close, too, with four for the Lancers and two for the Pirates. Field of play control was hardly any one team's domination at any point of the 80 minutes. The game played, a lot, in the middle of the field, in the first half, some kickball, but, mostly, good control of the ball, dribbling, passing, making overlapping runs, wall passes, etc. by both teams.

The likes of players for the Pirates, like Diego Atilano, Christian Cortez, Jorge Pena and Gurjit Dhesi played skillful indeed. And, for the Lancers, Mathews, Tolton and Ramsey figured strong as any for that side's skill measure.

That's how the game stayed, 1-0, Lancers, until eight minutes into the second half when the Lancers scored again, springing off halftime energy, captains' talk. A corner kick from senior Jake Zwaller was lined on the ground to the near post, where Oliver Kipnis made a nice run to tap it in and make it 2-0 Lancers.
"A lack of concentration, key moments," said Highline Pirates' coach, Eduardo Millan, after the game. "They took advantage of that."

The Pirates who, despite being down by two goals to nil in this game, were still, playing strong soccer, equally, doing things with the ball on the field -- if not, perhaps, even slightly more possession, and touches, in the second half than the Lancers.

But the Lancers did out-shoot the Pirates, five to three, in shots on goal, in the second half. So, combined with the first half, the Pirates were outshot, 9-5, for the game. Still, that's speaking of great defense, mostly, by both teams, despite the final three goals let in by the Pirates, with one of those three let in with a minute left in the game, to note.

"I felt we outplayed them in the midfield," said Dhesi, a senior captain who played in the back but moved forward -- nicely, too, at times -- with runs for the Pirates. "We need to work on finishing in the final third of the field."

The Pirates did miss some shots on goal in the second half, one flying over the crossbar, another just wide, far post. The Lancers, to be fair, missed a couple chances, too, in the second half.

But, with 19 minutes left in the second half, the Pirates scored, making this one a lot closer when Dhesi, with the ball, was tripped by a Lancer inside the six-yard box. That foul meant a penalty kick, and the Pirates' Dhesi, nailed it, hit low, right-corner pocket, knocking the Lancers' lead to 2-1.

Good job, there, with mettle to score, too, for the Pirates, on the Lancers, down a couple goals -- they never gave up. Plus, to note, the Pirates are a 2A school, and the Lancers a 3A, so a higher classification team. So it was an impressive performance by the Pirates to stay in this game, besides, some loss of focus times, resuling in two goals, early in half one, and early in half two.

So, the Pirates came back to make a game of things, but still they trailed the Lancers by a goal. That was a tough position to be in for the Pirates soccer team with the game winding down to 20 minutes left, against a formidable, strong adversary. Just a lot of pressure, for any of two even teams, for the one behind to be trying to get an equalizer in the game's closing 20 minutes.

"We were chasing the game early on," said Millan. "Their goal to begin the game changed the dynamics of the game. But, we were right with them in this game."

The Pirates' continued to press, having the ball on the Lancers' end a bit more the final 20 minutes. But the Lancers' defense bended but did not break, led by Mathews and Ramsey, on the back line.

"They were solid in the back," said Millan.

Then, putting this one on ice for the Lancers, with very little time remaining in the game, one minute. It was Keagan Spadoni-Varden teaming with Kaiden Braun off a set play free kick that made it 3-1.

Afterward the Lancers' coach, Teddy Mitalas, exhorted his team for their ability to not allow any particular type of goals into the net.

"They got a penalty kick for a goal, that was it," said Mitalas, huddled with his team after the game. "Well done. You didn't give anything away during the field of play."

And, of their coach, the captains for the Lancers again spoke.

"Knows the game,"said Ramsey

"Pushes us," said Tolton.

"Gets us better," said Mathews.

This season, the Lancers hope to improve on last year's strong finish. That season was good, too. They won the Seamount League with a 9-1-4 mark before going to the 3A state tournament. There, in districts, the Lancers beat Bonney Lake, 1-0, and Wilson, 2-1, and Columbia River, 3-0, and Mount Si, 2-1, before the loss, 2-1, to Lakeside, in state's first round

Is the goal for the team this season to get back to the state tournament, like last season's team?

"Farther," said Tolton. "We want to do better than last year's team. A lot better."

"We want to get to the championship," said Mathews.

"We want to win the championship," said Ramsey.

And that last line, by one, caused an echoing of words, as all three Lancer captains were in complete, verbal, agreement.

"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."

Said with quite a bit of energy, that last word, by each, it is noted.

The Lancers play Renton at 6 p.m. at the Starfire Complex on Friday, March 27.

The Pirates play, next, against Tyee, in a key, 2A Seamount League, battle at 7:30 p.m. at Highline Memorial that day.