Mead Again In Unfriendly Confines

It’s deja vu, deja vu.

If that’s possible, Dick Cullen has done it.

The Mead soccer coach is going to the Final Four of the State AAA boys soccer tournament after taking the girls to the Final Four last fall.

The girls Final Four was at Shoreline Stadium. The Panthers’ semifinal foe was Shorecrest, which plays its home games at Shoreline Stadium.

The boys Final Four is at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. The Panthers semifinal foe Friday night at 8 is Rogers of Puyallup (16-0-1), which plays its home games at. …

“That’s the worst news,” Cullen said. “We’re trying to make it into a positive.”

Although thunderstorms are expected this weekend, the weather can’t be as bad as the near-hurricane winds the Mead girls faced when they lost in a shootout before finishing third.

“I’ve learned over the years to expected the unexpected,” Cullen said. “If the goal posts move, I won’t be surprised.”

The way Mead is playing, the field may not be a factor. Mead beat Kamiakin 5-0 and Pasco 3-0 in their two playoff games with J.J. Klaus scoring five goals.

”(Rogers) sounds a lot like Pasco, from what I hear,” Cullen said. “They’re a physical crew, they have good speed, they’re strong down middle, they have a very fast striker and a good keeper.”

Mead last made the Final Four in 1990 when it lost to North Thurston 1-0 in the semifinals.

The Greater Spokane League has been successful the past three years. Last year Gonzaga Prep lost in the championship game after finishing third in 1994. North Central was third in 1993.

The Panthers have never won the state championship but played for the title in 1986, losing to Thomas Jefferson in the second overtime.

“That was, not surprisingly, one of the best ‘team’ teams we had,” Cullen said. “The players had good skills but phenomenal team work. This year the guys are real team-oriented, too.”

The other semifinal is Woodinville (14-1-1) against Eastlake of Redmond (17-0-1). Eastlake is made up mostly of players off a premier league team coached by former Seattle Sounders coach Alan Hinton.

, DataTimes