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LAKEWOOD -- Paul Herrera, a four-year varsity letterwinner on the Pasco boys soccer team, stood with his teammates near the south sideline at Harry E. Lang Stadium after a 2-1 loss to South Kitsap in the 4A state soccer championship.
The senior forward was the first to raise the WIAA second-place trophy above his head, smiling for the shocked throng of Bulldogs' fans waiting in the bleachers.
But the tears in Herrera's eyes defied the semblance of joy, for Pasco -- a nationally-ranked team that hadn't lost in 19 games -- lacked any desire to celebrate its runner-up status.
"I'm sad. I never felt like this," said Marco Acevedo, a Bulldogs senior captain. "Coming into this state tournament, this was a one time in a lifetime (chance). It never came into my mind that this would happen."
Not many people did, especially those who watched Pasco dismantle Woodinville 3-0 in the semifinals Friday night. But South Kitsap played the perfect game, jumping on the Bulldogs' defense early and challenging them at every turn.
Pasco has reached the 4A title game three times in the last five years, losing in 2005 and winning in 2007. For South Kitsap, it was the first state title in program history.
"The best thing we did was to stay and watch 30 minutes of their semifinal win," said Wolves coach Mike Krug, a club coach who stepped in to guide the team for one year and will leave again after this season. "The boys brought their lunch pails."
When senior forward Brent Riciglaino beat Pasco goalkeeper Emmanuel Martinez with a 25-yard strike for a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute, the Bulldogs' dream of their first-ever undefeated season began to deteriorate.
"I had a solid lane," Ricigliano said. "(Coach) Mike (Krug) said before the game that you might only get two or three opportunities. I knew if I got one, I had to make the most of it."
Pasco, which came into the game as the top-ranked team in the state and No. 2 in the nation by NSCAA/adidas, hadn't trailed in a game all season and the goal shook them up a bit.
"It makes a difference," said Bulldogs coach Mike Pardini, who had earned 4A state championships as a player in 1999 and as a coach in 2007. "You want to stick to your game plan, but we pushed some stuff around to try to get one back. Of course, it made things a lot more difficult once they scored again."
The Wolves' second goal, a short-range header by Dixon Hammer off a high bounce, put Pasco completely back on its heels and desparate to make up ground against a Kitsap team hungry for its first-ever soccer title. The Wolves reached the 4A championship game in 2006 but lost 5-1 to Snohomish.
"Sometimes games don't go your way," Pardini said. "You get to this point, you want to win. I thought South Kitsap played exactly how they needed to win."
The Bulldogs eventually did punch one in in the 60th minute to cut the lead to 2-1. Marco Acevedo, who totaled nine assists in five postseason games, launched a corner kick from the right side, dropping it in front of the Kitsap goal. After a mad scrum inside the 6-yard box, Richard Renteria tapped it past Wolves' keeper Danile Lathrop for the goal.
But with time winding down, Pasco needed one more to fulfill its dream of another state title.
"I was hoping we could scrap something together," Pardini said. "It just wasn't our day."
The Bulldogs did have several opportunities to score in the second half, many served in by Acevedo, a two-time (and likely three time) all-state selection.
Acevedo gave Pasco one last valiant chance in the 79th minute, dribbling down the left flank, he crossed the ball low across the Kitsap box, where Juan Jimenez was making a run on goal.
Acevedo's pass found Jimenez right in front of the net, but the ball sailed over the crossbar.
"I tried shooting it, but it ended up as a cross," Acevedo said. "When he slid in, I thought it would go low, but it went high."
