SMOKEY POINT, WA— The Snohomish County FC Steelheads host Nido Aguila Seattle on Sunday June 16 (Fathers Day) at 3 PM at Lakewood High School in Smokey Point. It’s a match between WWPL clubs who are both unbeaten and playing for a shot at the 2019 league title. General Admission is $5 at the gate.
(Cover photo: midfielder Victor Villasenor by Glen Moffitt.)
Nido Aguila Seattle currently reside in second place in the table with a 4-2-0 (W-D-L) record and 14 points. The Steelheads have played one less match and are in fifth place in the standings at 3-2-0 and 11 points. See the table below.
Five For All
As this article on goalWA.net goes into detail to describe, the race for the top of the table and the league involves a handful of teams, but only two of them control their own destiny. The others rely on results from matches outside of their own. Those two clubs are XF Redmond and Snohomish County. The Steelheads can clinch the league if they win all remaining matches. Here is the rest of the season for competing teams:
There are other ways to win it all, but winning five straight would mean never giving up control of your own destiny — never having to rely on other results.
Two New Fish
The Steelheads have two new guys in the mix on Sunday, goalkeeper Dorian Lair and defender Ridley Eastland-Fruit. Both are veteran soccer guys who will instantly bolster the back, which has already been a strong point. The Fish have lost two starters in the back this year, Logen Flem and Gunnar Stohl. Snohomish continues to get remarkable performances from 18-year-olds Marcus Swanson and Cade Cooke. The recent addition of John Troka means SnoCo FC goes from strength to strength in Head Coach Dagi Kesim’s effective defensive scheme.
Friends and Fellow Competitors
“The fact that we are one of the teams to beat now, I’m very proud of my boys,” says Kesim of his squad. “We might not be the most talented team but I do believe we’re the most organized team and one true team with lifelong friendships.”
Looking For Goals
Upfront Nido Aguila Seattle have a productive striker in Casey Woodruff (Steilacoom HS, Pierce College), who already has 8 goals and a couple of multiple-goal matches. The Steelheads have a bunch of scorers and will look for more from veteran Andrew Escalante and several others. Currently midfielders Rio Alcorta (3) and Devin Shull (2) lead the club.
Break then Four in July
The match on Sunday takes on further significance due to how the schedule falls. It’s the last match for the Steelheads until July 6 when they travel to Gig Harbor to face the Harbor Force. The next night they will be back at it with a rescheduled match July 7 in Bellevue against BeSea FC. Grays Harbor Gulls visit Smokey Point on Saturday July 13 and then the season concludes Thursday July 18 at Redmond High School against XF Redmond.
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