At long last, the Lake Washington soccer team is bringing home some hardware for the school trophy case.
After securing their first championship game berth with a win over Ballard in Friday’s semifinals, the Kangaroos (15-2-3) made history Saturday with a hard-fought 1-0 win over No. 13 Garfield (15-7-3) at Sparks Stadium in the Class 3A state title game.
The final minutes were filled with tension and agony for both sides as Garfield senior Tate McDonald attempted several shots that would’ve sent the game to overtime.
But the Bulldogs couldn’t even the score and when the final whistle blew, the Kangaroos ran off the field and up into the stands to celebrate their historic accomplishment.
“We’ve never been here before,” coach Michael Adamik said. “This is uncharted territory. I wouldn’t be here without them. I’m honestly speechless. I could not be happier for them, especially. They absolutely deserve to be here, and I think we earned it.”
Lake Washington junior Dillon Davis broke a scoreless tie with a goal in the 25th minute. The Bulldogs had a chance to tie it in the 61st minute, but the Garfield crowd groaned as a shot sailed wide.
More shots came in the final minutes and while Davis’ goal was all the Kangaroos needed, it sure would’ve caused a bit less stress if they’d added an insurance goal.
“I was scared,” Davis said of the finish “They were just on us every single time. I just wanted the game to be over so badly, I just didn’t want it to go to overtime or anything like that, because I mean, they’re a good team, to be honest. I was just really scared.”
Nearly every high school soccer player dreams of scoring the winning goal in the state title game. For Davis, that dream is now reality, though it still didn’t feel real as he celebrated after the game.
“That whole five minutes did not feel real,” Davis said. “The goal, I didn’t even see it, I just felt it. It’s just something you dream about the day before. It’s something that you wish for, something that you focus on during pre-games and everything. But to have that happen to me, it just doesn’t feel real.”
For Garfield, the loss was a heartbreaker. The Bulldogs won the title in 2018 over Roosevelt, but couldn’t bring home another championship as several of their shots just missed the net.
“Obviously a little bit of heartache for not getting the final, not just the result, but the goal that we were aiming for,” Garfield coach Carlos Enriquez said. “But also a lot of pride. These guys have grown so much and so connected, and to be able to see that until literally the last minute of the game, it’s something that makes me real proud as a coach.”
The win was redemption for the Kangaroos’ disappointing 2023 finish when the team lost in the first round to Seattle Prep, but 2024’s triumph was no easy feat. They won four one-goal games en route to the title, including a 2-1 win over defending champion Lincoln in the quarterfinals.
Adamik, who now teaches history at the school, is a Lake Washington alum who played soccer for the Kangaroos before he graduated in 2004. Now, 20 years later, he led the team to its ultimate goal.
“This is one of the most special things that I think I’ll ever accomplish in my life,” Adamik said. “ … It’s surreal. I’m going to be pinching myself for a long time.”
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