Shorecrest Downs Shorewood in Shootout; Shorewood Player Taken Off By Ambulance

Shorecrest finished off a physical battle against rival Shorewood with a 4-3 advantage in a penalty shootout following a scoreless tie in regulation and one harrowing moment for the Thunderbirds on Friday night at Shoreline Stadium.

Shorewood's Hayk Avanesyan was taken off the field by an ambulance at the end of the second overtime after suffering what appeared to be a major forearm injury. Avanesyan attempted a bicycle kick on the rain-slicked turf of the Shorewood half and came down hard. He appeared to be unconscious for several moments and play was halted for around 20 minutes while paramedics applied an air cast to his arm and took him off on a stretcher. Thunderbirds head coach Nathan Davis said Avanesyan will miss the rest of the season.

"It's unfortunate, because he's a fantastic player for us," Davis said.

Once play resumed, the teams headed to a shootout. Shorecrest goalkeeper Sam Schober made a save on Colin Wilkin's shot and Ian Adams finished off the win with a make on the Scots fifth and final shot to mark the second time this season Shorecrest has defeated Shorewood in a shootout.

"I'm proud of my guys," Shorecrest head coach Drew Thompson said. "They hung in there despite not being able to finish. It was a frustrating for them at times, but they hung in there and found a way to win."

Schober appeared to know exactly where Wilkins was going to shoot, staying on his feet and moving calmly to his left to easily catch the shot. Davis said the save was the result of advanced scouting by Shorecrest and blamed himself for not warning his players.

"They recorded which way our guys shot," Davis said. "They had a coach telling their goalie and that's why he stood up and was able to catch the ball. I take blame for that. I let the team down by not planning ahead and thinking 'what if' if we get to this situation again. I told them 'that's my fault, this loss is mine.'"

Shorecrest nearly won the game in the final seconds of regulation, but Thunderbirds goalie Simon Aspinall first blocked Henry Wingo's cross and then Glenn Paden's point-blank attempt just before the final whistle blew. Aspinall made seven saves on the game, several from closer than 10 yards out and broke up numerous cross attempts with punches.

"The only reason we're in these games we're in sometimes is because of him," Davis said. "He's stepped up this year and been amazing for us, hands-down amazing."

Both teams had plenty of chances to win in regulation of what was a physical game from the outset between the second-ranked Scots and seventh-ranked Thunderbirds. Medical staff was called on to the field no fewer than three times as the number two and three-placed teams in WesCo battled for a chance to catch league-leading Glacier Peak.

Each team put shots off the post during regulation and both missed open nets following initial saves. Shorecrest Paden has three opportunities from inside ten yards, but Aspinall made saves on two, while the third went just wide.

"Typical rivalry game," Thompson said. "I thought we played well tonight, obviously our difficulty was just finishing."

Each team finishes off the season against first-place and top-ranked Glacier Peak, which is still undefeated on the season. Shorecrest can overtake first place with a win and a Glacier Peak loss to Shorewood.

"We're going to need some help from Shorewood," Thompson said. "I hope they play as well against Glacier Peak next week as they did against us." 

Shorecrest plays Oak Harbor on Monday before finishing the season against Glacier Peak on Wednesday. Davis said his team invites the tough finish to the season heading into the district playoffs.

"We want it," Davis said. "We're a very good team and we know that this is the challenge that we're looking for."