The Mount Si High School boys soccer team’s historic season has come to an end, but it didn’t come without a fight.

Despite several excellent scoring chances, Mount Si fell to the Glacier Peak Grizzlies, 2-0, last Friday night, May 21, in the quarterfinals of the WIAA state boys 3A soccer tournament. A large crowd at Mount Si High School thanked the boys after the final whistle for their dream run in 2010. The Wildcats finished the season 12-2-4.

“It was great to have such a big crowd out here supporting us and it was just memorable,” said Mount Si coach Darren Brown. “I really thought we had the edge tonight. You got to tip your hat to that team. They played their A-plus game.”

Glacier Peak, from Snohomish and members of the Wesco Conference, got on the board first, in the 10th minute, when their star player, senior Jackson Miller, ripped one past Wildcat goalie Ryan Herman for a goal. The tally was Miller’s 20th on the season. Late in the half, Mount Si came very close to tying the game, but a shot attempt barely missed wide left of the net.

The Wildcats played better in the second half, and got a few more good scoring chances, including one off a corner kick which sailed in low in front of Glacier Peak goalie Andrew Weakly. But Mount Si was unable to get anything past the junior keeper, who has been stellar this season for the Grizzlies, with under a goal allowed per game.

It stayed 1-0 until the 77th minute, when Gregor Troost got a rebound of a shot fired by Miller and fired it home to seal it up. The Grizzlies, who had earned the right to play Mount Si by defeating a ranked — and one-loss — North Kitsap squad 2-0 last Tuesday, May 18, in Poulsbo, had pulled it off once again, upsetting a ranked, one-loss opponent on the road.

The Wildcats left to a standing ovation from the very large crowd. The team advanced farther than any team before them in the state tournament, and will be remembered as being the best this school has ever seen in boys’ soccer. Wildcat sophomore Chace Carlson will remember this season well.

“It’s a Cinderella story. For a team like us, to come out and do this well after the season last year… we’ve never done this good,” Carlson said.

“Thank you very much for supporting these boys and coming out and getting behind them. It means a lot,” Brown said.

Mount Si advanced to last Friday’s game by posting their first ever state tournament win, also last Tuesday, May 18, 4-0 over the SPSL’s Auburn Mountainview Lions. Sam Joselyn had two goals, and Carlson and Doug Silvius also scored to key the big win. The Wildcats were also helped by the fact that AMV played much of the game without star Isaac Cardoza, who was injured during the contest.