Prep boys soccer: Central Valley keeps its patience, perfect record

Crisis moments have been few this spring for the Central Valley boys soccer team.

The latest one passed Thursday night at Spokane Falls Community College, where the unbeaten Bears stayed that way by staying with the game plan.

Trailing Ferris by a goal at halftime of their District 8 4A match, CV coach Andres Monrroy told his players to keep their composure and play their style: possess the ball and play it in from the wings to create some chances.

The Bears did just that, rallying for a 2-1 win that puts them two wins from a return trip to state. They play Saturday for the district title against Lewis and Clark, a 2-1winner over Gonzaga Prep in the final game of the night.

From the opening whistle, the Bears controlled the ball and the pace, and got the shots they wanted – eight in the first half, six from point-blank range. But acrobatic Saxons goalkeeper Alex Churkin stopped them all.

Monrroy wasn’t surprised.

“Hey, this is Ferris, and they had a great game plan,” Monrroy said.

Finally, the Saxons’ Jacob Broomfeldt capped a counterattack with a tap-in in the 28th minute, and suddenly the unbeaten Bears were trailing – a rare occurrence in this 14-0 season.

Ferris took the lead into intermission despite being outshot 8-1.

CV midfielder Chase Reidt didn’t admit to feeling any pressure, citing a regular-season match against Ferris in which the Bears trailed early but rallied for a 3-1 win.

Sure enough, 3 minutes after intermission, it was Reidt who created the equalizer, finding space on the left wing and sending the ball into the goalmouth.

“I just looked up and hoped that someone was in the box,” said Reidt, who was rewarded when Noah Whitman moved to the near post and flicked the ball home.

Ferris (11-6) gave up few chances in the second half, and overtime seemed likely with 5 minutes left. A kind bounce off a corner kick, however, put the ball at the feet of junior forward Mark McClain, who tapped it home.

“Right before the corner came up, I wanted to get the header, but I ended up missing it,” McClain said. “But it ricocheted and bounced, and the keeper wasn’t ready so I just put it in.”

Lewis and Clark 2, Gonzaga Prep 1: Alex McNeill’s diving header off a cross from Henry Smaldon completed the Tigers’ comeback from an early deficit.

With 8 minutes left in a tie match, Smaldon took the ball down the left wing, passed sharply to set up McNeill for one of the most dramatic goals of the season.

LC (13-3) had a pair of early close-in shots, but the Bullpups (10-5) took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half on a powerful shot that curved away from Tigers goalkeeper Jeremy Ratcliff.

A few minutes later, the Tigers’ Jared Mehaffey tied it, setting up almost 50 minutes of defensive highlights before McNeill connected.