BLAINE – Meridian midfielder Roberto Guzman’s two second-half goals inside 40 seconds deflated Blaine and lifted the Trojans to a 4-2 win over the Borderites in the 1A District 1 championship Tuesday night at Blaine High School.
The senior broke a 1-1 tie with his first goal of the game in the 58th minute and proceeded to net another from 25 yards out 37 seconds later.
Blaine (10-3-2), which entered the second half with a 1-0 lead, did not have the firepower to respond.
“Roberto’s the best player in this league,” Meridian coach Joe Spencer said. “He’s a fantastic player. We talked about it at halftime to go find the ball, and he just made things happen.”
The win sends Meridian (12-3-3) to the bi-district crossover for the first time since 2019 and gave the Trojans their first district championship of Spencer’s 17-year coaching tenure with the team.
“It brings pride to Meridian,” Guzman said of the district title. “Trojans forever. I love it.”
Blaine senior forward Joel Barrientos-Estrada scored the match’s first goal in the 12th minute, finishing a deflection off Meridian senior goalkeeper Amrit Nagra.
The Borderites outshot Meridian 8-7 in the first half, defending well enough to maintain their lead into halftime.
Meridian sophomore defender Kellen Todd got the Trojans on the board in the 48th minute on a penalty kick, and Guzman’s pair of scores 10 minutes later suddenly flipped the game on its head.
“In my heart, I can’t ask for more,” Blaine coach Gio Quesada said. “These guys played good soccer.”
With plenty of time remaining on the clock, the Borderites went into attack mode. Blaine found a glimmer of hope when junior midfielder Leonardo Blanco squeezed a rainbow shot between the crossbar and Nagra’s outstretched hands in the 72nd minute, cutting Meridian’s lead to one.
That spark was put out just two minutes later after an own goal by Blaine, sealing the two-goal win for the Trojans. A district title has given Meridian all the confidence it needs to make a run at the final stage ahead of the state tournament.
“Nothing’s the ceiling [for this team],” Guzman said. “We can go all the way.”
Blaine, which hasn’t advanced to bi- or tri-districts (the pre-2015 format) since 2014, did not take the loss lightly. The Borderites will have to turn around and play Lynden Christian for the final bi-district crossover spot at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, at Blaine High School.
“The guys really wanted it. You can see it in the tears,” Quesada said. “You hope the guys come back strong.”
Meridian will now await its bi-district pairing, which will be the to-be-determined fourth seed from District 2. The Trojans will play at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Sammamish High School.
