Missed Goals Plagued Hornets in 1-0 Loss to Decatur

FEDERAL WAY - They say baseball is a game of inches, but the same could be said for soccer.

Wednesday night, the Enumclaw High School boys soccer team came within inches of a goal numerous times, but ended up losing to Decatur 1-0.

Before the start of the season, Hornet Coach Skip Ashley the Gators would be the team to beat. He had no reason to change his mind after the game at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

The teams fought to a 0-0 tie after the first period, even though Decatur controlled the ball on the offensive end about 75 percent of the time.

Outstanding play by junior goalie Demetri Anderson kept the Hornets in it. He made a diving save at the 24:16 mark and a leaping save about seven minutes later to keep the Gators off the scoreboard.

Enumclaw dodged a bullet when Decatur's star forward, Dominique Dismuke, made a smooth move to dribble into an opening but missed a shot over the goal from close range. At the 12:00 mark Dismuke smashed another shot toward the goal, but Anderson knocked it away. 

Hornet sophomore Caleb Gwerder rifled a shot at the left post, but it was knocked away. And then the Hornets had their best chance to score in the first half off a corner kick from the left side at the 2:45 mark, but it was wide left. 

"We had our chances," Ashley said at the intermission. "Our defense has led us all year."

Ashley was optimistic at halftime because the Gators would have a strong wind behind them in the second stanza. He also said it took the team awhile to adjust to the fast pace of the game, since it was played on turf.

"We're not used to playing on such a fast surface," he said. "We're one of the few teams that still plays on grass."

"But they (Decatur) aren't used to playing when it's pouring down rain with heavy winds either. So it all evens out."

Enumclaw's offense dominated the second period, but just was unable to score.
Austin Walsh, a sophomore forward for Enumclaw, almost hit a long shot, but then Dismuke tallied the only score of the game at the 24:09 mark.

It was all close calls from there as the Hornets dominated.

Another sophomore forward, Tyler Koenig, missed a shot on a breakway. Then, after a chest trap, he sailed a through ball to a streaking Walsh, who just missed wide left.

Gwerder then stole a ball, but Koenig missed again on a cross. Walsh later missed an open shot from 10-feet out, again to the left. Koenig missed left then Walsh missed on a header off a corner kick. 

At the 6:47 mark Gwerder rifled a long shot after a penalty that was knocked away.

Enumclaw made one last-ditch effort to tie at the 3:17 mark when Koenig dribbled into the clear and had a shot from about 8 feet knocked away. He raced to the ball to follow up with a cross, but the following shot sailed high.

"You can't get much closer than that," Ashley said.

After the game, Ashley told his team, "Well-played. We just have to get it in the back of the net," refering to the many missed scoring opportunities. "It could have been 2-1," in Enumclaw's favor, if both of the point-blank attempts would have gone in.

Ashley said the Hornets, now 4-3, are anxious to play their first home games of the season. They play host to Auburn-Mountain View Monday and Bonney Lake, another preseason favorite, next week. He said even though the Hornets only return three varsity players he still thinks they are one of four teams fighting for a South Puget Sound League 3A playoff position. The squad made the subdistrict tournament last year, but lost 13 players off that team.