MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon coach Tony Dabbs was just a bit nervous Tuesday as his boys’ soccer team found itself tied 1-1 with a gritty Yelm squad in the opening round of the Class 3A state tournament.
But Dabbs was optimistic.
“We’re a second-half team,” Dabbs said with a smile. “It’s been that way all year.”
The Bulldogs didn’t buck the trend as they posted three goals in the game’s final seven minutes, defeating the Hurricanes 4-1.
Mount Vernon improves to 18-2. Yelm finishes 10-7-1.
“I was nervous,” Dabbs added. “Of course. It took us a little longer to get going in this game than usual. For some reason, they decided to turn it up late. That’s the way they’ve been doing it, being patient, being patient, waiting, waiting. This time, they just waited longer.”
That methodical play doesn’t bother Dabbs.
“We have only allowed two goals in a game all year,” he said. “So they got one a little earlier than we liked, but our strength is the second half.
“And a 4-1 win at state is nothing to overlook. That’s a solid win.”
Mount Vernon will continue its postseason trek at 7 p.m. on Friday at home against a Camas team that advanced with a 9-0 shellacking of Nathan Hale. The Papermakers are 16-1-1.
Cesar Marin broke the tie against the Hurricanes in the 73rd minute when he corralled a loose ball just outside the goal mouth and rifled it past the Yelm keeper.
“I just saw the ball and a couple players were fighting for it,” Marin said. “And I just saw it roll right to the middle and didn’t even have a second to think about it.”
Staked to a 2-1 lead, the Bulldogs ratcheted up the pressure.
“Every time we score we tend to be a little more aggressive,” Marin explained. “That goal brought us up a lot. We could feel a difference.”
And it wasn’t long before the Hurricanes buckled again. In the 78th minute, Marin again found the back of the net. This time around, he found room to roam from 15 yards out, and with his right foot blasted to the left of goalie.
“Two goals,” said Marin with a wide smile. “It feels pretty good. But it’s everyone out on the field. It’s a team win after all.”
Marin said he really didn’t have any time to spare when he struck the ball for his second goal.
“The ball was coming right at me,” he said. “I just cut around (the defender) and was able to get the ball into the back of the net. I was pretty happy. We are a very happy team.”
The final goal came during injury time as David Navaro struck paydirt for the final tally.
“We really started slow in the beginning,” Marin admitted. “But again, we picked up and the last 15 minutes is the team we are. And that is how we are going to continue to play.
“We are really feeling great. Right now, all the guys out there, every guy that goes in gives it his best. I think we deserve this because we have been working really hard and it shows. Not just 11 guys, but all 18.”
Mount Vernon struck first in the game as Trevor Helms scored at the 32:40 mark. The Hurricanes responded when Miguel Gonzalez got loose and scored in the 30th minute.
Gonzalez was the Hurricane to watch and the Bulldogs marked him hard. Gonzalez had scored 24 of Yelm’s 48 goals this season. On this night, his touches were few and his effectiveness was minimal thanks to the play of Max Denham, Ricardo Rodarte, Devin McAdams and Travis Gomez.
“Our defense can stop anything,” Marin said. “We have allowed so few goals and scored so many. It’s not just our offense, it’s both.”
• Vince Richardson can be reached at 360-416-2181 or by e-mail at
