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1-0 loss to Edmonds Community
College (EDCC) kept the Dolphins
from reaching the playoffs.
In what was the final match of
the season for both squads, thirdplace
EDCC entered the game on
November 3 with a one-point lead
in the NWAACC North table over
SCC. A win would have given SCC
a third place standing in the division
and the final spot in the NWAACC
playoffs. A loss or draw for SCC,
however, and EDCC would find
itself in the playoffs with the third
place finish.
The match’s early offensive efforts
led to no avail. Instead, it was
in the 67th minute that the game
saw its only goal when the ball found
a seam through SCC’s defense.
EDCC’s Lowell Garret was able to
place it past goalkeeper Evan Gaul.
In about the 75th minute, SCC
found its best chance at a goal when
Hiroaki Takahashi’s near breakaway
attack was met with an overaggressive
counter from EDCC’s
defense inside the top of the box,
giving a penalty kick to SCC.
Takahashi was called on to take
the kick and aimed left where it
appeared as though EDCC keeper
Chris St. John’s left hand deflected
the ball off the crossbar and right
back to Takahashi. With the keeper
still recovering from his dive, Takahashi
treated himself to a nearopen
net and calmly placed the ball
through the posts for what seemed
to be the tying goal.
After initially letting the goal
stand, however, Head Referee
Manuel Soledad met with his linesmen
and ruled to waive the goal off
and instead call offsides on Takahashi,
ruling that the keeper never
touched the ball on the penalty. “If
it hits the crossbar directly and the
shooter gets the second touch, the
shooter is offsides,” explained Soledad
after the match.
The call sparked the tempers of
many SCC players, particularly defensemen
Dan Hyseni. Shortly after
the penalty, Hyseni was shown
two consecutive yellow cards for
exchanging words with referees,
resulting in his immediate ejection
from the match. Following his second
yellow card, an enraged Hyseni
charged at Soledad near midfield
but was restrained by teammates
and taken to the SCC bench.
SCC Athletic Director Doug
Palmer was more than disappointed
in Hyseni’s actions. “It was very
negative when our player got kicked
out of the game and charged the
referee. That was stupid,” Palmer
said.
“You can’t do that; it was uncalled
for. You can’t physically threaten
anyone. Even if he just ran up to him
and yelled in his face without touching
him, it doesn’t matter. You can’t
do those types of things.”
Hyseni, a sophomore, was regretful
of his actions and believes that
the intensity and significance of the
game played a large part in what he
did. However, he also believes that
the referees should have done a better
job considering the importance
of the match. “I know I shouldn’t
have charged the ref. I was just
caught in the moment,” said Hyseni.
“But the referee can’t make that
kind of call in the most important
game of the year. For [the ref] to do
that and cut our hopes like that is
not good at all.”
Following the incident, referees
called a near-10 minute pause to the
match as they tried to restore order
and upon resuming, the match took a
much more hostile tone as increased
aggression from both squads resulted
in a number of shoving matches
breaking out on field. In one such
scuffle, EDCC goalie Chris St. John
head-butted a SCC player and was
shown a yellow card, despite headbutting
normally being met with
an immediate red card. The game
ended a few minutes later after the
headbutt, with Edmonds owning
the final score 1-0 and SCC players
not shaking the referees’ hands.
Head Coach George Dremousis
holds lingering doubts about what
could have been. “You’d like to say
that the refs got all the calls right
and if Edmonds beats you, they beat
you,” said Dremousis. “But when
the referees appear to blow a crucial
call and you lose 1-0 in a big game,
you always wonder what could have
happened.”
In addition to the significance of
the game, Palmer believed that the
fact that the referees reversed their
call on the penalty kick also played a
large part in the buildup of the controversy.
“A very decisive call (on the
penalty kick) and you’re done,” said
Palmer. “If you allow talk to happen
afterwards, it just stirs up the whole
thing even more. When officiating,
you could be wrong, but you have to
sell your call; that’s what will keep
the controversy down. [The referees]
lost control during the last ten
minutes of the game. I think up to
the controversial call, it was acceptable.”
Soledad, however, believes that
he and his colleagues were always in
control of the game, even during the
closing stages. “I don’t think we lost
control,” said Soledad. “[The players]
tried to blow the game up but
we didn’t let them.”
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