The Olympia boys soccer team is headed back to the 4A state tournament for the second consecutive season as the Bears defeated Curtis 2-0 in a district elimination game at Art Crate Field Thursday.
Olympia responded to Saturday’s district quarterfinal loss to Sumner with back-to-back clean sheets in elimination games, beating Kennedy Catholic 1-0 Tuesday and Curtis 2-0 Thursday.
“We have prided ourselves on defense all year. We have only allowed one goal in 240 minutes of playoff soccer,” Olympia head coach Ty Johnson said. “The boys stepped and put clamps on a lethal Curtis offense. They are very confident and believe in one another. It is always a race to one in the playoffs. When we get there, we know we have a great chance as we are very hard to score on.”
Sophomore forward Brett Bartsch opened the scoring in the 25th minute, netting a goal off a pass from senior forward Joseph Raso.
The Bears, up 1-0 at halftime, doubled their lead in the 50th minute with a goal by senior forward Noel Fernandez, assisted by Raso.
Senior goalkeeper Declan Borden had a memorable finish to the game, saving a 76th-minute penalty kick and the ensuing follow to keep Curtis off the board. He finished with five saves in the victory.
Next up for Olympia (13-3-4) is the state tournament, which begins May 19 and May 20 with the opening round.
