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Matt Wallis
Anacortes soccer players (from left) Jon Sherman, Anders Rodin and Alex Rendon celebrate the Seahawks’ win over Sultan.
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MOUNT VERNON — The Anacortes boys’ soccer team, stricken with injuries throughout the season, knitted itself together Saturday just in time to claim its own piece of school history.
Tanner Gallo scored on a header late in the game and the Seahawks beat Sultan 1-0 in the Northwest 3A District Tournament to clinch their first berth in the state tournament in 22 years.
“Being able to pull this team back together for districts was crazy,” said Gallo, one of many Anacortes players who spent some time on the shelf, in his case because of a knee injury.
“It’s been a hard season, because we had to many kids injured,” Anacortes coach Jim Schemmer said. “I can’t think of anyone who didn’t play hurt.”
Anacortes and Sultan played an even match, with near-equal numbers of shots and corner kicks attempted.
Sultan goalkeeper Kacey Randall stymied the Seahawks’ best attempt before Gallo’s goal, stopping a penalty-kick attempt by Otto Sortun in the 62nd minute.
Sortun’s kick followed a foul in the box on the Seahawks’ Torey Merritt, but Randall went to his left to send away the ground shot.
A try off the richochet went wide.
But Anacortes converted an attempt in the 72nd, which started when midfielder Jon Sherman sent a sharp pass over the Sultan defense.
Gallo, who was lingering near the goal, headed it up and over Randall for the game’s only score. The Seahawks turned away Sultan the rest of the way for the state berth. Graham Thompson made five saves, including four in the second half, to help the Seahawks preserve the shutout.
For Anacortes, it was a case of being relatively healthy and making adjustments at the right times. Several players who had missed time with injuries — including Gallo, Merritt and Sortun — were able to play well toward the end of the season. Sortun also took on the new role of forward for district play.
“He’s really stabilized us,” Schemmer said. “We’re much stronger with him up front.”
The Seahawks’ injury woes didn’t end with the playoffs, however.
Senior forward Alexander Thomson suffered an apparant ankle injury against the Turks.
“Alex is a big part of the team, and I was sorry to see him get hurt,” Schemmer said.
Anacortes’ appearance in the state tournament is its first since the 1986 squad and just the school’s second in its history.
The 1986 team suffered a first-round, 4-0 loss to Mountlake Terrace.
This year’s Class 2A tournament is scheduled to begin May 13 at home sites. Teams that advance to the semifinals and finals on May 23-24 will play at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.
• Trevor Pyle can be reached at 360-416-2156 or by e-mail at
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