Blackhawks fall in soccer semis to East Valley

The Cheney High boys’ soccer team’s run to state came to an abrupt end last Saturday on the sun-drenched fields of East Valley.

The second-seeded Knights overcame a 1-0 deficit with three first half goals over a 12-minute stretch, and held on for a 3-1 win, sending them to the District 7 title game at Pullman May 10 and ending the Blackhawks’ season. Cheney’s only goal came in the 18th minute by forward Graham West.

East Valley out shot Cheney 9-7 with Blackhawks goalkeeper Dalton Mauzay making six saves.

To get to the district semifinal, fourth-seeded Cheney turned in a solid defensive effort and got a golden-goal from Camden VerStrate to edged No.3 West Valley 1-0 in overtime, May 5. VerStrate’s unassisted shot came three minutes into the first overtime period.

Both teams matched each other in shots with 11, with Mauzay making eight saves.

Cheney finishes at 5-7 in Great Northern League play, 10-8 overall in head coach Morgan Hartanov’s first season. The Blackhawks graduate one varsity senior, John Beale, and stand to return a good core of underclassmen that saw a lot of minutes this past season, including possibly 10 juniors and seven freshmen.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].