It has been said that goalposts are a goalkeeper’s best friend. That certainly was the case for Edmonds-Woodway’s Daniel Abraham and his Warrior teammates on Friday.

After Monroe’s Cody Duncan bounced a penalty kick off the crossbar and teammate Tristan Coe clanged one off the left post, the Warriors were able to celebrate a 2-2 (4-3 in penalty kicks) win over the Bearcats in a WIAA 3A State Boys Soccer Tournament round-of-16 loser-out match played at Mercer Island High School.

“I love the goalposts and the top bar,” Abraham said after the victory.

With the two teams knotted at 2-2 after 80 minutes of regulation play and 10 minutes of overtime, the state tourney game had to be decided with a five-round penalty kick session. The Warriors converted all four PK attempts they took — from seniors Alex Plumis, Joey Dornay, Thomas Robles and Oliver Zoloth. The Bearcats only scored with three of their five as the attempts of Duncan and Coe were denied by the woodwork.

Coe’s miss with the final PK of the game triggered a jubilant celebration among the Warriors as the team overcame losing one-goal leads twice during regulation time to eventually come out on top over the Bearcats.

“It feels amazing; I mean, I prayed for times like this,” Abraham said after the match. “I knew that no matter what it is, we’ve always got each other’s backs.”

Edmonds-Woodway, the no. 11 seed in the 3A state tournament, scored the first goal of Friday’s game during the fourth minute when Plumis crossed a low ball into the box to a charging Dormay, who easily beat Monroe goalkeeper Pedro Gaspar with a one-timer.

“It was really good,” Dornay said of Plumis’ cross. “I’m so glad I was able to be there in time and just put it away.”

Playing well and getting a goal early in the match is always a big objective for the Warriors, Dormay explained. “It’s the most important,” he said. “With it, you’re able to hold some fear over your opponents. And it really helps with momentum and confidence.”

“When we come out of huddles, we always say the first five minutes are the most important of the game,” Dormay added.

E-W held the 1-0 lead for the remainder of the first half and into the first few minutes of the second. But a perfectly placed strike from outside the 18-yard box by Monroe’s Tony Gradados tied the match at 1-1 in the sixth minute of the second half.

The Warriors snatched the lead again in the 54th minute when Ben Browne got past two Bearcat defenders along the right edge of the 18-yard box and crossed the ball to Zoloth, who guided the ball into the Monroe goal.

But in the 62nd minute, a miscue by Abraham allowed a 45-yard shot from Monroe’s Zach Pazier to go over his head and into the netting for a goal that tied the match at 2-2.

Abraham conceded that Granados’ goal was the result of a great shot and that he erred on the Pazier goal.

“The Nike Strike balls like those, they curve a lot,” Abraham explained. “Even the first goal they shot was a curveball — I thought it was going to go out wide. But it was a perfectly aimed shot, I’ll give him that.”

“But the second goal, it was my mistake,” he said.

Abraham was determined not to let the misstep distract him from finishing the remainder of the match.

“I know I made a mistake in the second half but I just tried to keep my head up and maintain myself, (stay) calm,” he said. “Because whatever happens, anything can go our way if we just work as hard as we did today.”

Abraham made 10 saves in the match, with one of his most impressive coming in the first minutes of the overtime period when he tipped a sharply hit close-range Monroe header over the crossbar. That shot, if it had found the back of the net, would have given the no. 6-seeded Bearcats the golden goal victory.

Friday’s defeat ended Monroe’s 2025 season. The Bearcats lost just three matches all year, two to the Warriors (the other being a 4-3 loss on March 28). The Bearcats’ only other setback this season was a 1-0 loss to the state tournament’s no. 1 seed Shorewood in the District 1 3A tourney championship match May 17.

The Warriors are now 7-2 in their last nine matches (their losses in the late-season run were to Shorewood and the 2A state tournament’s no. 4 seed Archbishop Murphy). E-W will next play in a 3A state tourney quarterfinal loser-out match against the no. 3 seed Mercer Island Islanders Saturday, May 24; first kick back at Mercer Island High School is set for 1:30 p.m.

A win on Saturday would put the Warriors in the 3A state tourney’s final four and guarantee the team a state trophy of some kind. Edmonds-Woodway won the fourth place trophy in the state tournament two years ago and in 2021; Dornay would like to bring home another state trophy this year.

“I want some more hardware to put up in the gym. That would be really great,” Dornay said.

You can view the entire WIAA 3A State Boys Soccer Tournament bracket here.

Prep Boys Soccer: Edmonds-Woodway vs. Monroe, May 23 (WIAA 3A State Boys Soccer Tournament second round loser-out match)

Edmonds-Woodway 1 1 – 2

Monroe 0 2 – 2

(penalty kicks 4-3, Edmonds-Woodway)

Goals:

– Joey Dornay (Edmonds-Woodway), assisted by Alex Plumis, in the 4th minute

– Tony Granados (Monroe) in the 46th minute

– Oliver Zoloth (Edmonds-Woodway), assisted by Ben Browne, in the 54th minute

– Zach Pazier (Monroe) in the 62nd minute

Shots:

– Edmonds-Woodway, 11

– Monroe, 21

Saves:

– Daniel Abraham (Edmonds-Woodway), 10

– Pedro Gaspar (Monroe), 4

Corner kicks:

– Edmonds-Woodway, 6

– Monroe, 4

Yellow cards:

– Tony Granados (Monroe) in the 46th minute

– Miguel Malagon (Monroe) in the 57th minute

– Korey Hope (Monroe Head Coach) in between overtime periods

– Danny Loveless (Edmonds-Woodway) in the 88th minute

Records: Edmonds-Woodway 13-6-2 overall; Monroe 16-3 overall

Edmonds-Woodway next match: versus Mercer Island; Saturday, May 24; 1:30 p.m. at Mercer Island High School (WIAA 3A State Boys Soccer Tournament quarterfinal loser-out match)

Monroe next match: 2025 season completed