They might be the saves of the season, not just because they also saved Mountain View’s soccer season.
On three occasions Saturday, goalkeeper Cole Taylor stretched and sprawled to keep shots out of the goal when it looked like Prairie might score.
Taylor’s heroics and a second-half goal by Nathan Purvis sent Mountain View past Prairie 1-0 in the 3A bi-district tournament Saturday at McKenzie Stadium.
Mountain View’s win wrapped up the last of five bi-district berths to the 3A state playoffs.
The Thunder likely wouldn’t have clinched their second consecutive state berth without Taylor, who had six saves Saturday.
“Those were big plays on his part,” Mountain View coach Dustin Johnson said. “Going down 1-0, especially in the postseason, it would have been hard to come back from that.”
Little separated league champion Mountain View and second-place Prairie during the 3A Greater St. Helens League season. The teams played to a 0-0 draw on April 26 after Mountain View won the first match 2-1.
After losing to Peninsula in the bi-district quarterfinals, Mountain View needed to win two loser-out games to reach the state tournament. After beating Evergreen 1-0 on Thursday, the Thunder prepared for another tense match against a 3A Greater St. Helens League rival.
“At this point, everyone is good,” Johnson said. “Prairie is a quality squad. We knew it was probably going to be 1-0 either way.”
And Prairie almost got the first goal 10 minutes before halftime. A well-placed cross found midfielder Riley Yuasa open at the far post with the left half of the goal open. He hit a hard low shot, but Taylor stretched his full body length and deflected the shot with a single hand.
“We practice those all the time,” Taylor said. “All you can do is hope for the best. It ended up working out.”
Prairie also had a shot hit the right post and another hit the crossbar in the first half.
Mountain View made halftime adjustments that resulted in the Thunder having much more possession in the second half.
Four minutes after the break, Purvis put the Thunder ahead. A well-placed pass by Christopher Grozav let Purvis get behind Prairie’s defense. One-on-one with Prairie’s goalkeeper, the sophomore forward didn’t flinch.
“He’s a threat for anybody we play against,” Johnson said of Purvis. “He’s going to get looks each game.”
Against a familiar opponent, Purvis knew one shot could make or break the game.
“It was a struggle,” Purvis said. “We know what they have, they know what we have. We’ve just got to keep pushing through and fighting. That’s what we did.”
But Prairie wasn’t done. Twice in the final 15 minutes, Taylor leapt to keep Prairie shots out of the goal’s upper corners. He was also shaken up in a collision that resulted in a red card for a Prairie forward.
Taylor, a junior, was quick to credit the rest of his defense. The Thunder have allowed no more than one goal in 11 of their last 13 matches.
“This year, we’ve had the best defensive line I’ve ever played with in my life,” Taylor said. “I trust these boys more than anything. We all work together, so at the end of the day it’s a team effort from everybody.”
Mountain View (13-5-1) will face District 8 champion Hermiston (Ore.) on the road in the first round. A date and time have yet to be set.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 1, PRAIRIE 0
Prairie
Goalkeeper saves — Gerrit Cochell 4.
Mountain View
Goals (assists) — Nathan Purvis (Christopher Grozav). Goalkeeper saves — Cole Taylor 6.
Halftime — 0-0.
