Bonney Lake Boys Soccer Team Shocked in First Round of State Tournament

The shocked looks and tears on the faces of the Bonney Lake players said it all.

What just happened?

Lakeside scored twice in the final 90 seconds of regulation to erase a 2-0 deficit and the Lions went on to shock Bonney Lake in penalty kicks for a 3-2 victory in the first round of the 3A boys soccer state tournament on Tuesday night at Interbay Field in Seattle.

Bonney Lake looked to be cruising to a first-round win, holding a 2-0 lead with 78 minutes gone in the game over a listless Lakeside squad. But Jay Bensal put in a volley off a bouncing loose ball from 20 yards out in the 79th minute to suddenly put a charge into the Lions.

Lakeside then went on the attack against a tired Panthers squad. The Lions were awarded three corner kicks in the final minute, the third resulting in the tying goal, as Guy Thyer finished off a cross from Carter Appleton to tie the game with just 30 second left.

"I don't know, a little desperation, little lack of concentration," Bonney Lake head coach Luke Helling-Christy said of the finish.

The teams played two scoreless, five-minute overtimes before going into a penalty shootout. Lakeside goalkeeper Daly Seaton blocked the first shot of the shootout and the Lions converted on all five of their kicks to finish off the stunning comeback that might rank as the latest two-goal comeback in the tournaments history.

"That was quite special," Lakeside head coach Mark Szabo said. "They found a way to make it happen. That was not a pretty game, but you've got give them credit when they find a way to pull out a win."

Bonney Lake took control of a somewhat ugly game in the 35th minute. James Glavin snuck in behind the Lakeside defense and finished off a throw-in from Tim Knoles to put the Panthers up 1-0 heading into the half.

Bonney Lake got its second goal in the 60th minute off a Jordan Billy finish from an Austin Curtis cross to give the Panthers what seemed like a safe lead. Curtis was a force on the field all day, consistently controlling the right side of the field while nearly putting in at least three opportunities.

Billy almost added a second goal on a header in the 72nd minute, the Panthers final chance before the frantic finish.

The loss ended what had been a dream season for Bonney Lake. The Panthers entered the game on a 12-game winning streak and finished the season ranked sixth in the state by the Seattle Times. But the strong year and high ranking still came up short of where the Panthers planned on finishing.

"We came up way short, that's about it," Helling-Christy said.