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After learning who their first opponent would be in the 2026 WIAA State 3A Boys Soccer Tournament, the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors got busy on the practice field and in the classroom on Monday, May 18, to prepare for their first-round matchup against the Auburn Mountainview Lions.
And while the work on the field was vital for the Warriors to work out some strategic planning for the game, it was the time spent in the classroom watching video of the Lions that ended up proving instrumental for E-W on Tuesday, May 19.
After building up a 2-0 halftime lead, the 19th -seeded Warriors held on and slipped past the 14th-seed Lions 2-1 in a 3A state tournament opening round match played at Auburn Memorial Stadium.
A heads-up play by E-W senior Natan Ghebreamlak got the Warriors on the board late in the first half when the senior caught Lions goalkeeper Ruvim Vasilchuk dashing off his goal line and out of his 6-yard box.
Ghebreamlak had just received a long pass from the E-W backline when he saw Vasilchuk rushing at him . “I saw him coming at me so I figured I could take a touch pass because I’m faster than [him],” Ghebreamak said. “So that’s what I did. And thankfully I was able to finish it.”
After Ghebreamlak got past Vasilchuk and rolled the ball into the open net for the E-W 1-0 lead, it was just a minute later that sophomore Brian Diaz blasted a free kick into the Lions’ goal to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead.
“We got a great free kick from Brian and he puts in and gives us a good momentum shift,” Ghebreamlak said.
While the Warriors’ finished off the first half feeling strong, it was a determined Auburn Mountainview team that started the second half with a big push hoping to get back into the game. But the Lions had a number of good chances to score turned away by the Warriors during the first 19 minutes of the second half, helped in part by trends learned of their opponent during the E-W film work the day before.
In the 56th minute, the Lions’ Benji Toscano launched a free kick from 22 yards out that shot through the Warriors’ defensive wall and was zipping toward the goal. But Ghebreaklak stopped the strike with a header on the goal line to preserve the E-W two-goal lead.
Ghebreaklak had positioned himself for the free kick due in part to video he had watched previously of Toscano.
“I knew number 10 (Toscano) has a good shot. We’ve been watching film on him,” Ghebreaklak said. “Any chance he gets, he tries to put it on target…He likes to go top not-on-the-wall side. So I had a feeling he was going to go to that side. So I told Danny [Abraham, E-W goalkeeper)’, ‘Trust me. I’m going to pop back. Stay on your side.’ And he trusted me and got the play done.”
While Toscano’s free kick in the 56th minute was turned away, the senior was able to score just four minutes later on a nearly an identical free kick attempt. Toscano made no mistake in the 60th minute, blasting a laser into the upper lefthand corner to pull Auburn Mountainview within one goal at 2-1.
But a second Lions’ goal was not in the works as Edmonds-Woodway held on for the win.
Abraham was a key component to the Warrior victory as the senior recorded a number of big saves during that 20 minute-plus onslaught of the Lions to open the second half. A diving save in the 55th minute and a kick save in the 61st minute were key stops for Abraham; but his biggest was in the 64th minute, the smothering of a penalty shot by Toscano.
Abraham said it was studying game film that helped him know what Toscano was likely to try on the PK, in addition to being alert and aware of what Lions coaches were saying in the leadup to Toscano’s try.
“I heard coaches over here yelling it and I kept it in my head,” Abraham said.
Toscano tried a stutter-stop shot from the penalty kick spot, sending a low shot to Abraham’s left. But Abraham dove that direction, stopped the shot and gobbled up the ball, leaving no rebound for a Lion to pounce on.
The final 20 minutes of the match were evenly played with both teams getting opportunities to score, but nothing else found the netting and the Warriors came away with the 2-1 state tourney victory.
After starting the year 1-2 — and struggling with just one win during an eight-game stretch midseason — the Warriors have now won four of their last five matches and will next play in a 3A state tourney Round 2 game on Friday, May 22, against 3rd-seeded Silas.
Ghebreamlak, who missed all of last season due to a torn ACL, credits E-W Coach Jason Hanson for bringing this year’s team together and installing a level of confidence that is now translating to success on the field.
“It was a rough start at the beginning,” Ghebreamlak said. “But coach, he’s been trying to hammer us down all season to get us to believe in each other. It was rough at first but now everyone has finally bought in and believes in what we can do after the district (tournament) run we had.”
“To get the belief from our coach, he didn’t give up on us after a rough (regular) season,” Ghebreamlak continued. “Him, trusting in us that much, it meant a lot to us. So I feel it was only right for us to come back together and keep putting in the work.”
After taking down a higher-seeded team in Auburn Mountainview on Tuesday, can the Warriors do it again against one of the 3A state tournament favorites in Silas? Ghebreamlak wasn’t ready to give a definitive answer to that question, only stating that he and his Warrior teammates will give it their all on Friday.
“Guys can keep sleeping on us, but we’re the dark horse in this tournament,” he said. “So we’re going to keep going.”
To view the entire bracket at WIAA State 3A Boys Soccer Tournament website.
Prep Boys Soccer: Edmonds-Woodway vs. Auburn Mountainview, May 19 (WIAA State 3A Boys Soccer Tournament opening round match)
Edmonds-Woodway 2 0 – 2
Auburn Mountainview 0 1 – 1
Goal scorers:
– Natan Ghebreamlak (Edmonds-Woodway)
– Brian Diaz (Edmonds-Woodway)
– Benji Toscano (Auburn Mountainview)
Yellow cards:
– Denis Duzhuk (Auburn Mountainview)
– Ben Yitbarek (Auburn Mountainview)
– Edgard Perez-Toro (Edmonds-Woodway)
– Natan Ghebreamlak (Edmonds-Woodway)
– Edmonds-Woodway sideline
– Moris Isac (Auburn Mountainview)
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 4-8-0 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 11-10-0 overall; Auburn Mountainview 12-3-1 in 3A North Puget Sound League, 13-5-2 overall
Edmonds-Woodway next match: versus Silas; Friday, May 22; 8 p.m. at Curtis High School Viking Stadium in University Place
Auburn Mountainview next match: 2026 season completed
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