Tomahawk rally falls short against Snohomish

SNOHOMISH It was a trial by fire as M-P soccer took on last years first-place finisher in its first game of the season.
In their first game under head coach Geoff Kittle and with senior goalkeeper Erik Cruz making his varsity debut March 11, the Tomahawks fell 4-2 to Snohomish.
The defending league champs took an early lead in their home stadium, scoring inside the first minute. By the 49th minute, Snohomish had a 3-0 lead. But Kittles team made a game of it.
Taking advantage of a free kick opportunity, senior midfielder Nick Burdett ended the shutout in the 59th minute with a well-positioned kick from the left side of the net.
The Tomahawks cut into the Snohomish lead again as, four minutes later, forward Ryan Wilson scored on an assist by fellow forward Jordan Salcedo.
M-P played with a new hope, but ultimately struggled defensively. Several times, the Tomahawk defense seemed tentative around the pressing Snohomish offense, and M-P gave up its fourth goal to Snohomishs Diego Robayo with just under 21 minutes left in the game.
Despite the tough opponent, Kittle expressed mixed feelings about M-Ps performance in the game.
Defensively, there were some times when we werent very focused, he said.
But, he added, the guys took advantage of offensive opportunities, scoring when they had openings. He attributed their second-half success to playing with more composure.
I kind of thought the guys came out a little intimidated, he said.
Of Cruzs debut, Kittle added, A lot of those goals werent his fault. I think he did a good job for the first game.
After facing the leagues best, M-P rebounded against the leagues last-place finisher, putting forth a 4-1 effort at home March 14. Burdett led the Tomahawk offense with three goals, while sophomore forward John Crenshaw contributed a fourth.

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