A less mature team might have wilted, and taken the stoppage time goal in a 2-1 bi-district quarterfinal defeat as the lasting moment in a season that otherwise exceeded expectations.
A young team like Mountain View boys soccer might have been the perfect fit to play the role in that script. But the Thunder took door No. 2, one that led to consecutive 1-0 wins, a state berth and eventual shootout win that puts Mountain View in its first state quarterfinal since 2012.
“At that point, a team has two decisions: Do we pack it in and call it a season? Or do we rise above and get back on the horse again?,” Thunder coach Dustin Johnson said of the bi-district loss to Peninsula. “The players really rose up and responded how mature players should.”
The Thunder (16-5-1) will face Kamiakin (10-4-4) in a 3A state quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. Saturday at McKenzie Stadium. It’s a long way from where the Thunder were after a 1-4 start to the year.
Did the Thunder expect to be here after that beginning?
“I really didn’t,” junior goalkeeper Cole Taylor said. “It’s definitely been a challenge, but we’ve put the chemistry together so well. We’ve connected more than any other team in the past.”
Some of that success has to do with Taylor, a 3A Greater St. Helens League first-team selection. His four saves during a shootout in a 2-1 win over Hermiston, Ore., in the first round of the state playoffs was heroic. But those key saves in the biggest moments are what the Thunder have come to expect from their netminder, who has six shutouts in his last 14 games.
“At the beginning of the year, I really thought he was going to have to step up to the plate,” senior defensive midfielder Justin Lufkin-Quant said. “Seeing him this year has been a totally different story. I’m really impressed with how he’s playing. You can tell he’s putting in work outside.”
Lufkin-Quant sits in front of brand-new backline that has been mighty impressive. It has allowed 23 goals in 21 games this year and registered shutouts in bi-district wins over Prairie and Evergreen to secure a state berth. Defensive success so often comes down to how players come together as a unit. The Thunder have embraced that concept.
“It’s really become a pride thing within the team itself,” Johnson said. “They’re trying to prove themselves to me and the coaching staff and even to the older players.”
One youngster who has already proven himself time and time again is 3A GSHL Offensive Player of the Year Nathan Purvis. The talented sophomore forward will be key in breaking down the Kamiakin defense Saturday. He’s also a focal point for a program that is primed for sustained success. Of the seven first-team all-league selections for the Thunder, five are expected to return. A semifinal appearance would do wonders to boost that program outlook.
“It’s exciting, for sure, to have a young team experience this,” Johnson said. “But we want to continue on.”
