LC winds up 4th following 2-1 loss

CAMAS, Wash. – Lewis and Clark’s appearance at the State 4A boys soccer Final Four had barely begun Friday when one of its senior leaders left the field with an injury.

The Tigers’ stay at the tournament was coming to an end Saturday when another senior leader was carted off with an injury.

Needless to say, LC’s weekend adventure at Doc Harris Stadium didn’t develop as planned.

The Tigers (18-3) settled for fourth place Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 loss to Snohomish that came 16 hours after Friday night’s 2-1 loss to Juanita. Prior to Friday, LC had allowed two goals in a match just twice this season.

Fourth-year coach Kenny Krestian, who guided the Tigers to second place in 2002, remained upbeat despite the outcome and the gloomy, damp weather.

“It’s a great season when you get to the playoffs,” Krestian said. “It’s an excellent season when you get into the championship round.”

LC received good news Saturday morning when senior goalkeeper Ben Fairchild was cleared to play. Fairchild missed all but 11 minutes of Friday’s match after smacking head-to-head with a Juanita player.

“He said he was good to go and just had a swollen eye,” Krestian said. “It’s his senior year, his last game, so we let him go, and I thought he did a great job.”

Krestian said Fairchild showed no signs of being affected by the suspected mild concussion, despite allowing two Panthers goals during the first 21 minutes.

Fairchild and the Tigers’ defense held Snohomish (17-2-2) in check for the final 59 minutes. But LC’s offense was unable to make any last-gasp attempts when scoring leader C.J. Moe, a senior, injured his left ankle with 11 minutes left.

Panthers sophomore Jordan Dettmer drew a yellow card on the play, which left Moe with at least a sprain and perhaps torn ligaments. Moe, from the ground, voiced his displeasure with Dettmer, whom Krestian accused of match-long fouling.

“It’s unfortunate,” Krestian said. “You don’t want to lose a player as well as lose a game.”

Snohomish drew four yellow cards and one red card during the final stretch. Krestian said the officials were attempting to take control, but should have done so earlier in the match.

Moe scored his 20th goal of the season in the 10th minute, with a 20-yard, left-to-right shot to the corner.

Brandon Crutchfield set up both Snohomish goals, giving him a team-high 16 assists. For the first, in the ninth minute, he centered a pass from the left to UNLV-bound Seth Wilson, the team leader with 25 goals. St. John’s (N.Y.) recruit Justin Abel scored at 21 minutes, from 12 yards out after Crutchfield centered a pass from the right.

Snohomish nearly extended the lead to 3-1 late in the first half. Fairchild came out of goal to make a stop, leaving Tim Olson responsible for kicking away a ball headed for the net.

Light rain began falling midway through the second half, just before LC’s Skye Henderson shot wide right after a throw-in.

Panthers junior goalkeeper Ryan Riley had to slide to stop a Trevor Cross attempt with 5 minutes left.

“You know, with everybody I talked to, I said the two best teams here played for third and fourth,” Krestian said. “We both try to play the game the way it should be played.”