The Vashon Pirates’ boys varsity soccer team entered the state tournament with their sights set on the crown.

However, with the benefit of hindsight, it seems they were looking to the final at the expense of what was right in front of them.

On Friday, May 23, Vashon first faced up against the Wapato Wolves — a team that had not qualified for the state tournament in 28 years. Vashon started the game sharp: With only one minute in, Lewis Thompson slid a pass into Mason Haynes, who finished comfortably on his left foot to make it 1-0.

Wapato looked to respond quickly with a high press, but Vashon weathered the storm for about 20 minutes until Haynes found Rowan Marceau-Roache in the Wolves’ 18-yard box with a lovely through ball. Marceau-Roache allowed the ball to run across his body before finishing it past the keeper to double the Pirates’ lead.

After that, it felt as though the floodgates had opened. As Joni Respighi converted from the penalty spot to make it 3-0, the Pirates took a lead into halftime. In the second half, like the first, Wapato couldn’t get anything going, nor could they deal with the Pirates’ attack. Jair Valle made it 4-0 from a free kick in the 57th minute, and Oskar Cobb and Evanan Shrestha scored one to make it six. Wapato scored a consolation goal in the end courtesy of a brilliant strike by Sebastian Loza.

It seemed as though the Pirates were on track to go deep into the tournament, having brushed off the 12 seed with ease, and they were given another boost later that night. The 13 seeded King’s Way Christian Knights beat the 4th seeded Overlake — meaning that Vashon would face King’s Way Christian in the quarterfinals.

King’s Way Christian had looked impressive against Overlake, a team with a strong defensive structure and a couple of fast forwards. But Overlake was still the far better team technically, so the Pirates considered it a win, as they had escaped a matchup with the reigning state champs.

As expected, King’s implemented a low-block strategy, allowing Vashon to attack and defend them with their athletic center backs. The Pirates broke down the defense, but their issue was in front of the goal, where nothing seemed to find the back of the net. A cross from Lewis Thompson found the feet of Mason Haynes in the 19th minute, who could not redirect it on target. Two minutes later, another chance fell to Haynes in the six-yard box, who couldn’t even get a foot to it.

The best chance of the first half for Vashon came in the form of a penalty kick. Thompson stepped up with an opportunity to give the Pirates a lead and had his shot saved by the goalkeeper, Barrett Brahmer. The score at halftime was 0-0 — not entirely unexpected, although Vashon was disappointed not to have scored at all in the first half.

Vashon continued their constant pressure in the second half, finally paying dividends in the 56th minute when Finn Kennan slotted it home from a corner kick. It didn’t take long for King’s Way Christian to answer as a bolt of a shot from Collin Hermes found the back of the Pirates’ net just nine minutes later. The Pirates continued their constant pressure, but a sequence of abysmal finishing saw the score remain tied.

It seemed inevitable that the game would go to extra time — that is, until with the very last kick of the game. Asher Wyckoff scored a bicycle kick to win the game for King’s Way Christian and eliminate Vashon from the state tournament.

Looking past how crazy of an ending the goal was, the game was a perfect magnifying lens into the issues that plagued Vashon all season, and which led to them not even making the final four of state despite having, potentially, the most talented squad the school has ever seen.

When Vashon lost to Cascade Christian twice before the state tournament, all the goals scored were either a set-piece or a failure to step to the shooter by the Pirates’ defense. The two goals scored against Vashon in losing to King’s Way Christian were precisely that as well.

Despite the squad’s talent, Vashon has once again fallen short of the mark, and it begs the question: What will it take for this team to lift the cup when they are favored to do so year after year?

Oscar Lopez is an island sportswriter, a senior at Vashon High School, and a Voice of Vashon commentator for the island’s soccer teams.