Against state-best competition like Ferris, the East's best, the Federal Way Eagles came out tough, holding the Saxons scoreless until nearly midway through the second half of a 2-0 loss in the WIAA 3rd-4th place consolation game at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood Saturday, May 29.

Kodey Eley performed well at fullback along with Max Ward, also playing in the center, and Eley was walking off the field after the game and talking, listening to coach Baumgardt.

"Second and fourth over two years," said Baumgardt, who coached the Eagles to the state final three years ago in 2007. "Not bad."

Not bad.

The Eagles lost 2-0 to Lake Stevens in a well played, closer than the score semifinal, before the consolation game was more of the same good play.

Federal Way and Ferris (Spokane) played a dead even game in the first half, with both teams taking nine shots.

Baumgardt mixed things up a bit on his end, putting Tang in the back with Ward and pushing Eley up to try and give the offense some help with SPSL North MVP Kelyn Rowe out on a trip to Florida with his club team because he is trying to get national level exposure and made that commitment before the season began for spring high school soccer.

Rowe likely didn't believe his team would get far as they did probably, but the Eagles believed in themselves and kept winning loser-out games, starting with their last game of the season against Tahoma, a 2-0 win, and, carried things on from there, beating Curtis in a SPSL North vs South seeding crossover, knocked off Narrows No. 1 seed Gig Harbor in overtime, when the Eagles were the No. 7 seed from the SPSL.

Then, they beat Snohomish, 3-2, in the first round, in a game Rowe only scored the second goal. So, that's to say, this team against a state-best traditional power, won it with more than just Rowe. And, Beamer, 5-1, in a quarterfinal. Next was the final four at Harry Lang.

Back to the Ferris game for the Eagles, they put up a good first half fight with some good shots by Lewis hitting a couple near post in the 9th and 10th minutes of back-to-back action. In the 12th minute, Mitchell Wadleigh made a good move on the right wing at the 35-yard line. That freed him from a couple defenders long enough to cross a nice ball behind the backline of the Ferris defense and Eley just about ran onto it but the ball skipped, on wet turf, by Eley's foot.

"We were unfortunate," said Baumgardt. "A couple unfortunate goals. We were working hard enough to get it. They (Ferris) are a good team."

The Eagles played strong against a Ferris team that didn't go down easy in it's semifinal played a day earlier against Stadium, the state's No. 1 ranked team at 18-1. The Saxons were scored on with 20 minutes left in that one, a 1-0 game. So, again, this game versus the Saxons, a 2-0 loss, speaks volumes of the Eagles' competitiveness against a team that gave the state's best a run for their money.

Speaking of the goals for the Saxons, they didn't come until the game was in the 15th minute of the second half. The ball was passed into the 18-yard box by Josh Sharon for that team's leading scorer, Alec Cutter, who scored it to make it 1-0.

Then, nine minutes later, in the 24th minute, Sharon scored the second goal to make it 2-0.

That was all the scoring in the game.

The Eagles had a fun season, which is, incidentally what Baumgardt told his team to do, "Go have fun out there," before their semifinal against lake Stevens.

The Eagles had to have had fun because they played strongly against the state's best competition and met it head on, even outplayed it at times, which was remarkable to do without Rowe.

"We exceeded all expectations," said Colby Lane, who helped his team get where they are now by scoring the game-tying goal against Kentwood (3-3) at the midpoint of the season. And, before that, Lane, a senior, scored against Thomas Jefferson in a 1-1 tie. TJ was the eventual SPSL North champ.

"We had the absence of our best player and greatest asset," said Lane. "Both games, our defense was great. We gave it a good run...We are going out in fourth place in the state."

Only four teams get to play in front of a whole bunch of fans, both opposing ones and your own. That is a special, neat feeling that these players experienced for the Eagles.

"The seventh seeded team getting one away from the state final," said Baumgart. Then, holding onto the fourth place trophy, he said. "Not a lot can put one of these in their trophy case."

A great season, all the way to the end, where unlucky goals and offense that just didn't quite get it done ultimately did in the Eagles.

"We did what we could," said Baumgart.

And that was quite a lot by this whole team exceeding expectations. And, not just for the season. But at state, in the final four, playing without their best player and still playing competitively.