Playing shorthanded for most of the game, the Overlake Owls were outmatched by the Wahluke Warriors, 3-0, in the 1A state soccer title game Saturday afternoon at Sunset Chevorlet Stadium in Sumner.

Wahluke, based out of the small farming community of Mattawa (population 2,600) in central Washington, was locked in a defensive chess match with Overlake, with no shots on goal for the first 18 minutes of play.

Finally in the 31st minute of play, Warriors’ senior Arnulfo Leon took advantage of a clear net on a goalie charge and bounced one in, sending the raucous crowd into a frenzy.

A missed clear allowed the second goal to score, a 20-yard shot in the 50th minute by Eugenio Cruz, and Leon put the icing on the cake with Wahluke’s third score as the clock was winding down.

“We just had some (defensive) breakdowns that ended up costing us,” said veteran head coach Bob Bristol. “But our kids were fighting all the way to the end.”

The miscues were uncharacterstic of the Owls, who had not given up a goal in three state tournament games before the finals, and the team received more bad luck as an Owl goal was taken back late in the second half due to a penalty whistle just before the kick.

Even in the title-game loss — the Owls’ only defeat of the season — Bristol remained complimentary of his senior-laden team’s effort.

“It was incredible, playing in the last game of the season,” he said, adding that the Owls were simply outplayed by the Warriors. “Every team wishes to be here, and they have worked hard and deserve all praise for the work they did… I’m proud of them and I couldn’t be happier. This is a special group, with 11 seniors.”

The Owls, who play their regular season and league playoffs in the fall, finished the season with a record of 20-1-1. Sixteen of the 22 players on the team either play lacrosse, baseball or tennis in the spring, and often participated in dual practices to be eligible to play in the state soccer tournament.

FROM RACKETS TO CLEATS

Owls’ team captain and all-league midfielder Trevor Partington and junior defender Marcus Munoz accomplished a rare feat on Saturday.

Just a couple hours before arriving at Sunset Stadium midway through the second half, the tennis doubles team had been fighting for their tournament lives, placing sixth at the 1A/1B/2B state championships in Yakima.

The pair woke up at 8 a.m. and played a consolation bracket semifinal at 9 a.m., winning in straight sets.

With the hopes of seeing some time on the pitch later in the day, the tournament director allowed them to play their 4th/6th place trophy match 45 minutes early.

“It was mentally confusing,” Munoz explained. “It was tough for us because we knew we’d get here late if we had to play that second match. We pushed as hard as we could at (tennis).”

After losing the first set of their trophy tennis final 6-1 and knowing that the Owls’ soccer championship was about to get underway, it would have been easy to throw in the towel.

But the dynamic duo, who dominated in Emerald City League and quad-districts play to earn a state berth, dug deep and mounted a comeback, earning a thrilling 7-6 victory to force a third set, eventually losing 6-1.

“We knew it was one or the other at that point,” Partington said. “But we pushed through and got that second set, and it was a close one in the third.”

On the tense ride to Sumner from Yakima, which began after a sprint to the car directly following the post-match handshake, Partington and Munoz were kept well aware of the score via text messages from teammates.

“It was definitely stressful, getting updates from our team,” Munoz admitted. “Learning about the first goal made us nervous, but hearing about the second goal was a killer.”

Even though Partington and Munoz provided the team with a breath of fresh air when they arrived on the sidelines, it was too late for the beleaguered Owls.

“It was tough coming in down 2-0, but we did our best,” Munoz said.

Added Bristol, “(Partington) is so dominant in the middle of the field, not having him… just took a little away from the things we can normally do. It put a lot of pressure on our defense, and Marcus starts on defense as well.”

But all in all, it was a day that neither player is likely to forget.

“It was fun,” Munoz said. “To play in one state tournament is good enough, but two in the same day is pretty amazing.”