G-Prep Edges U-Hi To Advance To State

Saturday’s boys soccer playoff between University and Gonzaga Prep turned into a game of chicken played between the penalty boxes.

And University blinked first.

Gonzaga Prep’s Tyler Jordan made the Titans pay with a goal 3 minutes into the second half to give the Bullpups a 1-0 victory in a District 8/Snickers elimination game at Prep’s Joey August Field.

The win advanced Prep into the State AAA tournament and qualified the Bullpups into a seeding game with the Mead Panthers on Tuesday at Mead High School at 5 p.m. The Panthers advanced to the state tournament by winning the Greater Spokane League regularseason title.

“There were two or three defenders in front of Tyler,” Bullpups coach Christian Birrer said of the winning shot. “He bent the ball really nicely around the defenders and into the side net. Tyler created that goal himself.”

The play started with a Chad Zlateff throw-in that found Joe Walker in the penalty box. Walker shielded his man from the ball and chested it back to Jordan, who stepped over the ball to his left before pulling it back to his right with the outside of his right foot as the defender slipped.

”(Titan midfielder) Andy Gorton came up to play me,” Jordan said. “I knew there was enough room to let the ball go between my legs. I just wanted to get off a good shot.”Jordan did, sending a right-footed blast from 14 yards out knee-high past Titan keeper Richie Bernal and into the right side of the net.

The game had been a virtual stalemate up until that point.

Prep had the better of the chances early in the game, forcing Bernal to turn back a Joe Ascolese header 12 minutes in and smother a Tim Bishop attempt 9 minutes later.

U-Hi countered with its best opportunity coming on a looping 40-yard shot from defender Josh Frey that sent Bullpups goalkeeper Brian Mullen scrambling to his left before the shot smacked harmlessly off the cross bar at the 30th minute.

That turned out to be the best chance the Titans would have all day, as their inability to get the ball into attacking positions in the Prep penalty box hurt their chances of advancing.

The Titans finished the season at 8-6-3-1.

Gonzaga Prep 1, University 0 First half - none. Second half - 1, Jordan (Walker) 43:00.

Shots on goal - GP 12, U-Hi 7.

Saves - GP, Mullen, 1. U-Hi, Bernal, 5.