By Ed Shepherd
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Three goals was too many.

Tyee lost, 4-3, to the Hazen Highlanders, as the Totems' comeback bid fell short, on Seniors Night, at Highline Memorial Tuesday'.

But, comparing this game, for the Totems, to the season's first meeting against the Highlanders, there was no comparison.

"The first game of the season, they embarrassed us, they beat us, 9-1," said Seyti Sidibay, the Totems head coach, whose team will take first place for the Seamount, in 2A, getting the No. 1 seed into the district playoffs, starting May 14.

S, this game was a lot different than the walloping suffered the first time to Hazen, a Renton Highlands school, a 3A team The Totems finished third, with a 7-5 mark. But, as just stated, the Totems were a 2A school, so, they do not compete in the postseason playoffs against the Highlanders nor Lancers, because both of those teams are the higher 3A classification.

So the second time around for the Totems against the Highlanders was a much different story, but, it didn't start out that way, like, getting way behind a little over halfway through the 80-minute match, with two 40 minute halves.

Going into the game's details, and the Highlanders' first-half scoring domination, they rapidly put momentum on their side, scoring a goal with 32:19 showing on the clock. The goal was a through-ball passed from a center mid player 25 yards out, curling the sphere around a defender, who was flat-footed. The ball, also, rolled by the last line of Totems' defense, into the 18-yard box for another Highlander to run onto it, boot it by the Totems' keeper, 1-0.

"We made some mistakes early," said Sidibay.

The foe's second goal came around the 19 minute mark, off a cornerkick, the kicker curled the ball over the top of the Totems' defense, into the middle, and by the keeper to make it 2-0. That was just a great shot, but, there could have been a defender playing the far post, but, that ball by the corner kicker was brilliantly placed, far post, upper 'V', great shot.

So halftime came and the Totems went in frustrated. Sidibay spoke to them.
"I talked about calming down," he said. "We needed to have the mentality to keep attacking."

So, the Totems went into the second half, fired up, ready to make the missed chances count. The Totems, honestly, didn't have many chances to score, only three shots, and, one of those was way over the crossbar. All the while, the Highlanders took eight shots on goal and two went in in the first half.

So the Totems had to change that kind of stat around, start finishing their shots, something the Highlanders did at a 25 percent clip.

But, just five minutes into the second half, all that halftime emotion and momentum got grounded, as, the Highlanders scored its third goal of the game on a rocket of a shot from 35 yards out straightaway, finding far post, upper vee, 3-0.

So, it was an almost insurmountable deficit, looking now, at the Totems. What, with going against a team with two more wins on the season than them, and, having crushed them, 9-1, and getting outplayed for the ball, for the most part, it didn't look good.

But, then, the Totems made good out of bad, answering their coach's mentality ask at halftime to "keep attacking."

After having been out-controlled of the ball in the first half, probably a 70/30 split, percent-wise, the second half was the other way around, as the Totems dominated possession of the ball. It led to a first goal for them scored just four minutes after the Highlanders had scored its third goal and was threatening to blow this one out just like the first meeting.

The Totems' Diego Ramos, shot a hard shot much like the kind of shot the Highlander player had just taken. Ramos' shot from straight out, 35 yards away from goal, bulleted through the air and past the Highlanders' diving keeper, 3-1. Then, five minutes later, with 26:00 on the clock, the Totems scored again when Osvaldo Lopez took a corner kick and Jedidiah Thang, got it and put it in the net, cutting the Highlanders' lead to 3-2.

The comeback looked in the making. The Totems believed they could do it.

"We knew if they scored, we could score more," said Enrique Navarro, a senior captain for the Totems.

So, definitely not done yet, the fans were, now, into the game, screaming, and, the cheerleaders, who were sitting in the stands, mostly, because of the rain, but, even, if not pouring rain, there just wasn't much to cheer about in the first half. Or, even, early in the second half. But once the rain stopped and the score changed, thanks to a Totems' goal, they were out there, cheering away, as, they did starting out the game before the "cats and dogs" came down from the sky for much of half one.

And, the Totems' did tie it up, then, coming back, completely, with 17 minutes left in the game, thanks to senior, captain, Adama Kante. He half-volleyed a bouncing ball from 30 yards out, right, on, by, the Highlanders keeper, who didn't even dive it was such a hard, well, placed far post blast, 3-3.

But, then as, the momentum looked fully in favor of the Totems, controlling the game's pace, as, well as possession, the Highlanders scored with eight minutes left, and, they did score on a pretty sequence. A player, at midfield, back-heeled a pass to a player downfield, at the 40-yard line, who switched the ball all the way across the field. That caught the defense off-guard, as the ball got past the Totems' left fullback and the Highlanders' right wing ran onto the ball, dribbling into the 18 yard box and launching the ball, far-post, in, unlocking the tie, 4-3.

The Totems did not quit trying after that, nearly scoring, four times, Kante had two shots inside the 18, one inside the six yard box, deflected, and, Navarro had a try of a shot, cleared, and, Nebiu Kinfu, too, a shot from up top, wide; all this action in the final five minutes.

But, no goals came, as, the Totems' rally fell short, a three goal deficit roved too much to, completely, overcome.

But, winning isn't everything, and, this team has the right attitude from its coach, and, captains, who knew their team gave it their all.

"Even though we lost, it felt like we gave it everything we got on the field," said Kante.

So, Sidibay's team didn't, quite, score more than the other team this time, as, Navarro, alluded, they could happen. But that's OK. The attitude is right by co-captain, Navarro; it's one of confidence. And these Totems' players, hopefully, see this game as a learning experience and not 'Oh, we fought our butts off for 80 minutes and deserved to win." One player did say something very close to that after the game, and, another was swearing out loud. That's the wrong attitude to have. Plus, as Sidibay already noted, their were 'mistakes' made in the first half, being accountable for those wrong things done is what will take this Totems team past having lost to Fife, 5-1, in the first round of the playoffs last season.

And, this was a good night no matter the loss, as, it was Seniors Night, for the Totems. And, the seniors were, each, individually, introduced, before the game, getting candy leis put around their necks, getting things, like, hats, put on their heads, having a cool processional, all and all. The seniors were all smiles throughout the proceedings, the joy seen on the faces of the six seniors getting honors, being Mohammed Dukuly, Muya Hamadi, Kinfu, Thang, Lopez, Kante and Navarro.

So this was a good game, and, just a good, fun, ,night, for the Totems, who know that they got work to do, have to be stronger at the start of the whistle and play intense all the way through, not getting behind by three goals, and, hopfully, learning, especially at state, getting behind by any goals puts tremendous pressure on a team. So, work hard to keep the eyes on the ball, not the man, don't get caught flat-footed, on defense. And, move that ball as a team, with no bickering, too, if a mistake is made by a teammate. This Totems team was strong with communication, too, against the Highlanders, even, when down a lot of goals, that is noted, too, things said, like, 'Watch the backside,' when a player making a backdoor run to the far post, etc. So, that's good to see, and hear.
"Both teams tried their hardest," said Navarro. "And, just because the final score was not in our favor, it doesn't mean we go off with a loss in our heads. It was a perfect game to end senior night."

And, a game to grow from, though, a loss, Sidibay knew, as, some players were in angst, holding their heads after the game, frustrated, down, he was saying, in so many words, to keep their heads up and see this game as a positive, going forward.

This is a good game for us to have played heading into the playoffs," said Sidibay.

And, being the No. 1 seed has its privileges, heading into the 2A district playoffs, as, the Totems are not in a loser-out game, starting out, like, non No. 1 seeds. They play against the Olympic, No. 1, seed, likely, North Kitsap or Kingston, at 7 p.m., at Silverdale Stadium, on May 14. Win that, the Totems are the No. 3 seed into the state tournament. If they lose that first game, they, then, would be in a loser-out game at 5PM at Franklin Pierce on May 16.

Foster made the postseason, too, but must win its game at 5 PM at Franklin Pierce on May 14, or be out. And, then, the Bulldogs must win another game at noon at Art Crate Stadium on May 16 to make it into state.