Shoreline girls' soccer: Agony & Ecstasy

Michelangelo! (to paraphrase Irving
Stone, whither Lin-Manuel Miranda)

It is said that facing adversity builds character. If so, you can certainly see it in the lines on my face and the fifty shades of grey in my hair.

Last night’s match perfectly illustrated how a simple game of soccer can have such a profound effect.

From one extreme of abject despair and tears of sadness, to euphoric ecstasy and tears of joy. It was the embodiment of the purity of sports, the exuberance of youth, and the ideal of amateur athletic endeavor.

It is why neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night shall stay my vigil on the sidelines, watching with bated breath. It would require the artistry of a Michelangelo to capture drama that would make angels weep.

Last Friday night, in the hinterlands of the Olympic peninsula, #9 Shorewood faced off against #8 Mt. Spokane in a rematch of last year’s eighth-final game. The Stormrays were looking for redemption, and it started off with #13 striking first, giving Shorewood a 1-0 lead.

But the Wildcats came charging back, equalizing, then taking the lead, 1-2, which they would not relinquish. 

#12 Shorecrest faced #5 Seattle Prep, but they could not conjure any Cinderella magic this year, and were defeated, 2-3. The margin between Victory (thrill of) and Defeat (agony of) is small indeed. 

There is no joy in Shoreville tonight, as the Pride of Shoreline have struck out. Alas, the dream is over for yet another year, the circus has moved on without the Stormrays and the Scots. In the immortal words of the defiant fan, “Wait till next year!”

EPILOGUE: For those of you die-hard fanatics still reading, the State quarter-finals have concluded, and these are the teams that have moved on to the semi-finals: #2 Bellevue, #3 Roosevelt, #5 Seattle Prep, #8 Mt. Spokane. 

#1 Gig Harbor was unexpectedly knocked out in a massive upset. Who will get to claim the title of Class 3A Soccer State Champion, and grasp the prized chalice? You’ll hafta go to Sparks Stadium in Puyallup next weekend to find out!

Michelangelo! (to paraphrase Irving Stone, whither Lin-Manuel Miranda)

--TCA