LAKEWOOD Lakewood senior goalkeeper Peter Karrenberg proved worthy of the Superman-inspired design on his jersey when he entered the goal in overtime and helped the Cougars defeat Lynden in a shootout.
With a save on Lyndens fifth attempt, Karrenberg helped Lakewood pull off the 2-1 victory in front of a home crowd, May 3.
Junior forward Evander Ochoa gave Lakewood an early lead, scoring on Lynden keeper Eric Kodama in the first minutes of the game. From then on, it was a close fight as players on both sides slipped and slid on the rain-slicked field.
James Hoback, the junior who backed-up Karrenberg throughout the regular season and heir presumptive to the goal when his teammate graduates this spring, started his first game in the goal against the Lynden Lions. Lynden remained scoreless for 75 minutes. Then, Lynden freshman Donnely Cardenas chased a Lynden ball that looked bound for the out-of-bounds. The errant ball drew Hoback away from the goal, and Cardenas kicked it in front of the net and teammate Matt Hicks, who was unchallenged.
One mental mistake on defense cost us, Lakewood coach Vaughn Vandelac said. I think we let up a bit. We came out hard but then we settled back.
We just need to work on our communication and keeping in it, added senior defender Andrew Priest, who was a visible part of the aggressive Lakewood defense.
All five Lakewood penalty kickers had success in the shootout. Craig Hooks, Brian Star, Priest and Ochoa matched Lynden goal for goal. On Lyndens fifth attempt, attempted by Cardenas who had Lyndens one assist, Karrenberg got the stop. The last attempt, senior Eric Hawks converted the fifth penalty kick.
While the game was close, Priest sounded confident in the talent of his teammates and the teams game plan.
We just have to keep our heads in it, he said. We just have to stay calm, pass it around, and play our game.
Lakewood faced Sultan May 6 after The Globe went to press. The winner will play for seeding in the state tournament while the loser plays either Anacortes or Archbishop Murphy in a loser-out, winner-to-state game. Both games are scheduled for May 10 at Mount Vernon High School.