The Grant High School boy’s soccer team lost 1-0 in the third round of the OSAA state playoffs Saturday against Jesuit. The loss came as a shock to Grant players as Jesuit scored the only goal in the final second of the game.
“I was just trying to comprehend, like did that really go in? That happened… literally at the last second,” said Alex Moskowitz, one of the seniors on the Grant team.
Players dropped to the ground face down as Jesuit stormed the field moments after the goal. Confusion rang throughout the stands as another second was put onto the clock after a decision by the referees. But the added time was futile as the game ended.
“It happened so fast, it was unbelievable. I was shocked … as soon it went in, it was dead silent and no one could believe what happened,” says senior Yaw Agyemang who couldn’t play in the game due to injury.
Going into the game, Jesuit was ranked third in the OSAA 6A rankings, while Grant was ranked 11th. Grant had beaten Tualatin 4-1 on Oct. 29 and Sunset 2-1 last week. The Generals made it two games farther in the playoffs than last year, when they were ranked third in state.
Assistant coach Jordan Green says the fact they made it this far was an accomplishment in itself. “I think they have been underdogs this whole year and no one really expected them to get to this point,” he says. “Even if we didn’t do so great in league, we are still a good program.”
The team had a rough start to the season, finishing with a 8-3-6 record, though they eventually picked up and beat both Benson and Lincoln to qualify for the playoffs. “As a whole season, we experienced a lot of rough games,” says captain and senior Brennan Johnson. “We had a string of ties that really contributed to our low placement in the PIL and we couldn’t break out of that.”
But despite the team’s lower ranking and rough loss, most team members are walking away with pride.
“I thought we were incredible. I think we played with a ton of heart and we showed a lot of determination and desire to win,” says junior and co-captain Philip Quinton. “I think it was tough for us but I don’t think the way we played and how we played, we did not deserve to go out that way.”
For head coach Eric Miller, it wasn’t just about winning, it was playing to the best of the team’s ability and working together. “We really focused on the basics of being a team and how we can be our best team every time we play,” he said.
Johnson agrees the team played well but says the loss has been hard to accept. “In some ways, it’s nice because we didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “But in some ways we didn’t do anything wrong and yet we still lost…It’s just hard to swallow.”
The bus home from the game was silent. “I was just in so much shock,” said Moskowitz. “I was just thinking about the game over and over again. I was just trying to be alone.”
Despite the disappointment, Moskowitz said he’d stay positive.
“I’m really proud of how we played … everyone gave it everything,” he said. “We fought with that Grant spirit, the Grant way and just fought for everything because hard work is going to win it.
“It’s the community you form with everyone and to have that going in is always great because you don’t have to worry too much about making friends because you know that you’ve got a group of brothers.”