SEATTLE, Wash. — In what couldn’t have been a better night for their first win of the season, West Seattle Junction FC were victorious against their East Side rivals, Midlakes United, with the Blues sealing a dramatic 2-1 win in the final minutes of play. Defender Connor O’Keefe, who grew up playing soccer in West Seattle, scored the decisive goal in the 89th minute to guarantee that the Lake Washington Derby title will once again live on the West Side.
Last night’s contest also served as Junction’s Kick Cancer Awareness Night, in honor of West Seattle Rhodies’ and University of Washington goalkeeper Mia Hamant, as well as the Lucy Strong Foundation. Both Junction and Midlakes players & staff honored their loved ones who have battled, or are currently battling cancers, by writing their names on a “Today I Kick For” sign. Everyone has been touched by cancer in one way or another, and even at the highest level of competition, this game shows us what truly unites us all.
Among the evening’s standout performers were West Seattle’s Riki Kobayashi and Richard Conces. With the creative Joschi Schelb missing from last night’s lineup, Kobayashi and Conces stepped up to fill the void. The midfield duo left it all out on the field with strong tackles, leadership, and courage, and were two key pieces in the Blues’ efforts to close out their first win of the season.
It was apparent that the hosts were determined to walk away with all three points last night, with West Seattle putting Midlakes on the backfoot early in the contest. Junction nearly broke the deadlock through Stephen Saladin in the 10th minute, but the forward saw his attempt fly wide of the goal after getting on the end of a cross from Damoni Mckenna. The hosts didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity on goal, as Kobayashi nearly found the breakthrough after streaking down the field and having his shot pushed away by Brian Lanier.
It was Junction’s defensive press that worked wonders for them all night, forcing the visitors into uncomfortable situations that inevitably led to changes in possession. Any sort of creative spark that had been missing against Portland last weekend was restored last night, as the entirety of the Junction lineup did well to find pockets of space to play in and move the ball forward effectively.
Junction’s offensive prowess eventually paid off, after Saladin was brought down in the box by a Midlakes defender after being sprung forward on the counter attack by Alex Mejia. Jacen Stein stepped up, and with nerves of steel, converted the penalty to give the hosts a one-goal lead heading into the halftime break.
The Blues continued to push for a second goal, with a flurry of scoring opportunities early in the second half. However, it was the visitors who scored next, with an equalizer from Cooper Brunell in the 59th minute. Despite the setback, Junction nearly answered right back just minutes later through Stein, who fired his shot off the post and away from just a few yards out.
The rest of the contest was a battle, with each team chipping away at the other in search of a winning goal. With time winding down, and offensive reinforcements in the form of Will Maschmedt and Mani Diop added to the mix, West Seattle looked poised to walk away with all three points.
In the final minutes, Maschmedt was brought down outside the box, setting up a dangerous free kick opportunity. After the initial cross was headed away, Rex Karjian managed to loop the ball back into the box, which was then headed on by Diop and Jake Larson before ending up at the feet of O’Keefe, who scored his first goal in Junction Blue to secure the hosts’ first win of the 2025 season.
The Blues will be back in action and looking for their second win of the season this Sunday, July 6th at home against Snohomish United. Kick off is at 4:00 pm, with tickets available for purchase HERE.
