TUMWATER — This time the drive back home was much better.

The Sehome boys’ soccer team traveled to Tumwater Stadium and defeated Black Hills 2-1 in a Class 2A state tournament opener on Wednesday. It was the Mariners’ first tournament victory since they won a state title in 2002.

“We played tough for 80 minutes,” Sehome coach Jon Fleck said in a phone interview. “It wasn’t the prettiest soccer we have played, but it was effective.”

Sehome (14-6) entered the tournament hoping to fair better than last year’s heartbreaking overtime loss in the first round, a game that was played in Lacey, nearly an identical drive home from Tumwater.

The Mariners, however, won’t mind the long road trips if the result is a win. Sehome must travel again for its quarterfinal game at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday against Kingston High School, a first-year school near Poulsbo. The game is tentatively scheduled to be played at the high school’s soccer field.

On Wednesday, Sehome took advantage of a shorthanded Black Hills team with two goals in the first half and held on with strong defensive play in the second half.

The Wolves were missing two key starters, hence a lineup change that saw a defender move up to the center-midfield position. But Black Hills coach Frank Soiza was quick to point out those weren’t to be used as an excuse.

Sehome used strong, defensive pressure on the Wolves in the second half to knock Black Hills out of the playoffs. The loss ends Black Hills’ season at 16-2.

“We had to reshuffle the defense and midfield,” Soiza said. “Unfortunately, it took us a whole half to get used to it.”

Black Hills was playing its first game without two allleague players — center-midfielders Eric Palladino and Evan Hindman. Hindman broke his foot in the Wolves’ district win over Mark Morris last week. The loss of the players brought Louis Ochoa, who normally anchors the defense, up to play centermidfield with Ethan Unland.

Sehome came into Wednesday’s contest fresh off an emotional 1-0 win over Bellingham in a loser-out

game in the Class 2A Northwest District to earn the No. 3 seed. The Mariners were the first to find the back of the net, thanks to a goal by Nino Tursic, who headed the ball off a cross. But in the 17th minute, Black Hills’ David Ball tied the score at 1-1 off a corner kick. The ball slipped through Sehome keeper Logan Barnett’s hands and rolled its way to the back of the net. That was the first goal allowed by Sehome in two games, and Fleck said his team’s defense has gotten better and better with each game.

“Our defense has come together towards the end of the season,” Fleck said. “Early goals are tough to come by. (Black Hills) came back and scored right away ... I didn’t think it would be a 2-1 game. I thought maybe 4-3.”

As it turned out, the game’s final goal came from Sehome’s Andy Mihovilovich in the 25th minute off a rebound and deflection. Black Hills keeper Jacob Huntington had knocked the initial shot away from the goal and Mihovilovich was there for the rebound.

“We never had four or five passes in a row,” Fleck said. “And that is our strength. We still got the ‘W’ in the state tournament.”

All game long, Sehome was pressuring Wolves forward Ethan Unland, who was named the Evergreen Conference’s offensive MVP on Monday. At times, Unland would have two, sometimes three players trapping him every time he touched the ball.

“It was tough,” Unland said. “Sehome is good at passing and our defense had a hard time staying up with them.”

Black Hills was outshot 8- 3 in shots on goal in the second half, as the ball was on Sehome’s side the majority of the time. Given the Mariners’ stiff pressure, Black Hills brought three forwards up to try and get a lastminute goal towards the end of the game.