Sunday, May. 11, 2008

Kamiakin soccer earns state berth at Hanford's expense

By Jack Millikin, Herald staff writer

A new wrinkle or two is good for you every now and then.

The Kamiakin boys soccer team worked in a few of them Saturday at Lampson Stadium during a 2-0 win over Hanford, capturing the No. 3 seed to the 3A state playoffs.

Most difficult for the Braves, perhaps, was coping with the loss of their second-leading goal scorer, Curtis Moore, who was suspended from the team early last week.

Terms of the suspension were not disclosed, but Kamiakin coach Todd Borak said Moore could return should the Braves reach the 3A quarterfinals.

Kamiakin will visit Sunnyside at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the first round of the 3A state playoffs.

The story of the match, however, was not so much Moore's absence but rather how his team performed without him.

Ian Lovering, a sophomore transfer from Virginia, scored his second goal of the season -- but his biggest one to date -- to give Kamiakin a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute.

"Give the credit to Abel (Bautista). He played the most perfect ball to me. That goal got handed to me on a silver platter," said Lovering, who took a through ball in stride at the top of the penalty box and rolled a shot past Hanford goalkeeper Sunny Bajwa.

"This team has gone through a lot of adversity. Every time I've asked them to step up, they have," said Borak, who has also lost defenders Stephen Gilbert and Lucas Dawson to injury. "(Defender) Sean Barney is a perfect example of somebody stepping up, and the game-winning assist came on a perfect ball from one of our goalkeepers."

Despite being outshot 20-9, the Braves converted two of six second-half chances, and goalkeeper Dillon Braich made five saves to collect his first shutout of the year.

"(Braich) played an excellent game," said Falcons coach Kyle Vierck, who watched his team get eliminated by Kamiakin for the second straight year. "It's tough because I felt like the guys did everything I asked from the opening whistle to the end. I felt like we were the better team."

Braich and Bautista platooned in goal for much of the year, but Borak went with Braich for the full 80 minutes. The two-time all-CBL second-team selection didn't disappoint, heading off several Hanford chances by grabbing dangerous loose balls out of the air.

"He's a senior in a loser-out game. He deserves the opportunity to be on the field win, lose or draw," Borak said.

Borak told Bautista the news just before the game, and the junior took it in stride.

"It was frustrating, but Dillon teaches me everything. He stepped up really good today," said Bautista, who recorded his first career assist. "It meant a lot. I didn't think I would get much playing time."

Scoring--1, K, Ian Lovering (Abel Bautista), 54:00; 2, K, Zane Hunter (Sean Barney), 76:00. Shots--H 20, K 9. Saves--H, Sunny Bajwa 0. K, Dillon Braich 5.

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