On Monday night, Joshua Gray passed the time by watching highlight goals from Lionel Messi, the dynamic Argentine footballer who makes a living with his sizzling play for Barcelona.
Tuesday night, it was Gray who used inspiration from the 22-year-old dynamo to help his Sammamish soccer club to a stunning victory over KingCo 3A/2A’s No. 1 team.
Gray positioned himself in the middle of the box late in the game and turned a floating pass from a streaking Taylor Backous into a game-winning stoppage-time goal that gave the Totems a 2-1 win over Mercer Island.
“I just remembered one of Lionel’s goals from the other night, a diving chest shot that went in,” Gray said. “I thought the best thing I could do with the pass was just place it and try to put it in and it just happened to be off my chest tonight.”
Gray’s goal saved the Totems from a night of deep regret, as Sammamish led 1-0 until the 73rd minute, when David Yount slipped past a Totems defender and turned a cross from Nick Ward into an uncontested goal.
“He just got wide open, and that happens,” said Sammamish keeper Stuart Ellsworth.
Mercer Island had the advantage in scoring chances in the first half but Sammamish (7-1-3, 6-1-2 KingCo 3A/2A) sat with a 1-0 lead after Taylor Berg turned a Beau Blanchard corner kick into a header that shot past keeper James Suh in the 33rd minute.
“Beau had been calling some near-post corners, but he’d been kicking it too early,” said Sammamish coach Darryl Gonyea. “I just told him to be a little patient. He corrected it and it worked out.”
Just like in the first half, the Islanders (7-3-2, 7-2-2) turned the pressure on Ellsworth, peppering the Totems net with shots. Each time, Ellsworth turned them away.
“Stu’s done a great job for us,” Gonyea said. “He’s been real solid.”
With the Totems entering the game five points behind first-place Mercer Island, a tie from a blown lead was the last thing the Totems wanted. So when Grey made his own Messi impression, it was a big boost to the Sammamish squad.
“We played tough and composed,” Ellsworth said. “After we scored late, it was the best feeling ever. We just had to settle down and play the last two minutes.”
