It was a golden finish to a nearly perfect league season for the Heritage boys soccer team on Wednesday.
Pablo Barbosa Sanchez took a pass up the left side, then delivered a perfect crossing shot into the goal to lift the Timberwolves to a 1-0 overtime win against Mountain View in their 3A Greater St. Helens League schedule.
“That was my second overtime goal this week,” the senior said. “Also against Prairie on Monday, I got an OT goal.”
That win against Prairie gave Heritage its first 3A GSHL title and first league title of any kind since winning the 4A GSHL in 2004.
Wednesday’s goal capped the Timberwolves’ league season at 7-0-1.
The lone blemish in that record was a tie against Mountain View earlier this season. After a gritty 80-plus minutes of soccer Wednesday, it looked like the two teams were headed to another draw.
But then Barbosa Sanchez ended it.
“Adrian (Vanencia) got the ball on the left wing,” Barbosa Sanchez said. “I saw that the defender was on my back, so I knew I had that wing side open. I asked for the ball. He did a little trivela pass down the line. There was one guy on my right that I saw, so I took a big touch in front of him. And then the keeper was kind of off his line. I played it right behind the keeper to the back post, hit the back post and bounced in.”
That set the Timberwolves into a celebration that culminated with head coach George Moya getting a Gatorade shower.
“They really wanted it,” Moya said of the win. “In the overtime, they really wanted it. Our athletic director told them that there was the possibility of them making school history tonight (to finish unbeaten in league). I think that was the motivating factor to get that W today.”
The Timberwolves will make more school history on Saturday, when they host a bi-district playoff game on their on-campus field for the first time. Heritage will face Central Kitsap at 2 p.m. with a chance to clinch a berth to the 3A state playoffs.
“This season has really been a testament to (the players’) work,” Moya said. “We as coaches, we set the foundation for them and we raise the bar. And it’s up to them to put in the work, and they’ve done it all season long. The trick for us is hopefully trying to peak at the right time.”
