For Squalicum, goalie was worth the wait
Squalicum’s new goalkeeper, quick senior Ricardo Solano, responded “No, not at all” when asked if he minded waiting two seasons behind a graduated standout to become the Storm’s starter.
Solano, however, was glad he didn’t have to wait long for another chance to stop a penalty kick.
With 11 minutes to play, Solano wrapped up unbeaten Squalicum’s 2-0 win over Bellingham by stopping a powerful PK by tall and talented Red Raiders junior defender Miles Henkel on Monday at Civic Stadium.
It was the 12th and final save for Solano, who has allowed only one goal for the Storm (6-0 overall, 3-0 Northwest Conference). That was a penalty kick by Lynden in his fourth game.
“I wasn’t thinking about that Lynden PK,” said Solano. “But yes, I did surprise myself by stopping this one. And our defense was really tough tonight.”
Joe McAuliffe, in his 13th season as head boys coach of the Storm, agreed.
“Ricardo was ready to play last year,” he said. “He has really stepped up this season. Stopping that PK was the biggest play of the game. Bellingham (4-2, 2-1) is a hard team to play against because they never give up, and anything could have happened if they had scored.”
WHAT IT MEANS
After only three rounds of NWC play, only two teams in the highly competitive 14-team league are 3-0 – Squalicum and rival Sehome, which beat Lakewood 8-0 on the same night. Squalicum – which was a 1-0 non-league winner over Sehome earlier this month – is the only unbeaten team overall.
Squalicum’s win over Bellingham came by the same score as their non-league season opener.
TWO BIG GOALS
Squalicum junior Ale Tomasi headed home a good ball on a free kick by experienced senior standout Tyler Hughes to snap a scoreless tie in the 26th minute. It was his third goal of the season.
In the 61st minute, junior Justice Chala scored off a rebound for his fourth goal.
Squalicum now has scored 18 goals and has allowed just the Lynden penalty kick. The Storm had to cope with the potent offensive style of the Red Raiders, who came in with a 22-3 scoring advantage. Of the five goals Bellingham has allowed, four have come from rival Squalicum.
BELLINGHAM’S PRESSURE
The Storm managed only eight shots on goal, with veteran Red Raiders keeper Joe Worley making three saves. Bellingham had 10 shots in the first half plus five shots in the second half, all but one of which Solano had to save after intermission.
Solano set the tone with a kick-out save on a solid shot by Bellingham junior Casey Carter four minutes into the second half.
“Tyler Nguyen and Erin Brandt (senior backline standouts) really did a great job (against Bellingham’s constant pressure),” said McAuliffe, who started seven seniors and employed three-sport starter Ben Peterson with effective results on the end of the back line. Bailey Wilson and Beck Werney also served on the back line for the Storm.
“It’s what we’re shooting for and what’s expected of our defense,” Peterson said of the Storm’s early season flurry of shutouts.
BOTH STATE HOPEFULS
McAuliffe expressed relief that his Storm, now in Class 3A, won’t have to face 2A Bellingham again this season. But the Storm still has a league showdown left against 2A Sehome.
McAuliffe and Bellingham coach Matt Zigulis, the former Western Washington University star, expressed confidence that their teams can make strong bids for state. Last year, when the Storm went 1-2 at district and Bellingham went 0-2, was among the few seasons this century that one or both have not qualified for state.
This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 10:05 AM with the headline "For Squalicum, goalie was worth the wait."