Liberty soccer drops five goals in win over Foster

The Liberty High School boys soccer team came into the season knowing that their season was not going to be easy. For the most part, it’s been smooth sailing — two close games against the league’s best in Hazen and Bellevue. But also, they have taken their lumps including a 5-0 loss to those Highlanders the second time through.

In its penultimate regular season contest, the Patriots took on a struggling Foster side that was there for the taking. Liberty dominated and completed the double over the Bulldogs in impressive fashion, winning 5-0 on April 29.

“It was awesome. We started with 11 seniors and seven were JV. As coaches we were thinking, we could hold our own and maybe stayed tied or be down one. They got us a one goal lead and that was absolutely awesome,” Manager Darren Tremblay said.

With the win, Liberty clinched the number two seed in the KingCo 3A tournament, which is pivotal because there is no 3A District 2 Tournament. Momentum heading to the playoffs is even more important because there is no room for error.

Because it was the final home game, Tremblay started seniors who were playing on junior varsity to start with the “A” club. There was hope that the game would be close with the players in, but there was more than that.

In just the third minute of the game, David Huynh, a junior varsity forward, scored the game’s first goal on a pass from fellow senior Daniel Jugurt.

“I was so happy I was able to get him that assist. He’s been looking for a varsity goal. It’s good that he got one. The rest of the JV players were good as well,” Jugurt said.

After dishing out a goal, Jugurt scored a goal of his own in the 24th minute on a set piece and assist from Freddy Peitl.

At halftime, Liberty was up 2-0, and played essentially half of the game already with their JV squad. Vibes could not have been any higher for the Patriots.

In the second half, Jugurt scored his second goal of the game in the 54th minute, and that began a quest he is all too familiar with: the elusive hat trick.

“I still can’t get my hat trick. I’ve been on two goals for four or five games. I can’t get the last one, it’s eluding me. But it’s still a good performance,” Jugurt said.

Jugurt is a game altering player. His control paired with his speed gives him the ability to cut and weave through defenders with the ball looking like it’s on a string attached to his foot.

“The guy is unreal. Some of the stuff he pulls off is incredible. He’s the guy as a coach that when he gets the ball you know something good is going to happen. He’s such a good player,” Tremblay said.

In the 67th minute, another senior recorded a goal, and this time it was Francis Menguita who beat the backline of the Bulldogs and smacked the post with a shot that deflected off the keeper and into the back of the net.

At that moment, it was clear that Foster was not going to surmount a comeback, as they registered just two shots on goal the entire game. It is the first shutout win of the season for Liberty, and it comes almost one year to the date of their last one (3-0 win vs. Interlake, April 30, 2024).

The defensive backline has been battling through injuries all season, but is finally starting to gel.

“They have gotten better and better and better for sure,” Tremblay said.

The final goal came in the 71st minute after Kensei Sugitani was fouled inside the penalty area. It was an opportunity for Jugurt to get his third goal, but Sugitani was fouled and earned the opportunity to score, which he did, to go up 5-0.

The last time these two sides met, Liberty won 6-4, but this time around it was like a different team entirely took the field in blue and green.

Liberty will more than likely take on Sammamish in the first round of the Kingco Tournament on May 5 at home.