Federal Way High School’s boys soccer team won just four games a season ago. After a 3-2 win over Enumclaw on April 10, the Eagles have now won five games this season and sit with a 5-4 record with seven games remaining.

Under new Manager Pedro Millan, the Eagles’ focus has been on continuity and culture. For a program that has seen a lot of ups and downs since the pandemic, the Eagles’ search for consistency looks to have found its match under Millan.

“I think we are changing the culture of the players and getting them to believe in each other. That’s the way I coach. I want them to have the mentality they need to believe in each other. I want to see progress. It’s a process,” Millan said.

The game against Enumclaw put even more pressure on Federal Way to get a positive result. In three out of the Eagles’ last four games, they went 2-1 and lost one game by a single goal to White River. But the most recent game against Kent-Meridian was a brutal 4-1 defeat, putting the emphasis on the game against Enumclaw.

“It was really important to us. We get excited, we want more,” senior Juan Morales Zavalza said.

In the first half, Federal Way had generated early momentum and created a couple of chances on goal, but the first goal came from Enumclaw in the 12th minute from Brian Silva, scoring by himself from a corner kick.

The Eagles continued to create chances and found some good fortune 10 minutes later when Andrew Schneider took a Federal Way cross and directed it into his own net, leveling the game at 1-1.

“When we equalized, it gave us an opportunity to calm down and try to manage the game differently. But I think it is important to control our mindset. If we can control our minds and our thoughts, the result is going to come on its own. We never stop fighting,” Millan said.

As the first half clock reached the final two minutes, the Eagles took some much-needed momentum into the locker room. There were four shots that were taken by various Eagles that didn’t reach Enumclaw goalkeeper Gavin Schneider. But the final kick before the halftime whistle was from the left foot of Jay Hernandez, which beat Schneider to take the lead.

A point of emphasis for Millan is trust in his first season, and the tenacity and resilience shown by his squad revealed that they are getting closer to that final form.

“I am super proud of them every single day. Even when we lose, I feel like they put all their effort on the field. Sometimes it’s not gonna go your way, but that is part of the game. As soon as they give me 100% on the field, I am always going to be fully proud, protect and support them,” Millan said.

The momentum was almost immediately gone in the second half as arguably the fastest player on the pitch, Landon Breidenbach, found space and the back of the net. It was in the first minute of the second half and Breidenbach scored on his first shot of the half. Enumclaw was back in the game and had 39 minutes to find a go-ahead goal.

In the first matchup, back on March 13, the Hornets beat Federal Way, 5-3. It was Federal Way’s first game of the season.

“It felt great coming out and beating a team in the first game of the season. It feels good getting our get back,” Zavalza said.

In the 70th minute, Enumclaw’s Brian Silva found his way out of the game. Silva was given a yellow card for dissent, then proceeded to take his jersey off when he was leaving the pitch. That resulted in another yellow card, which became a red card. For the last portion of the game, Federal Way was given another gift and had a man advantage.

Juan Morales Zavalza needed just six minutes to win the game for the Eagles. He found time and space around the 18-yard box and smashed a right-footed shot right past Schneider for the game-winning goal.

“He’s one of the leaders on the team. I asked him, ‘I think you can make an impact on this game, I want to put you as a forward, What do you think?’ He said ‘whatever you need coach.’ I told him what to do and the rest depended on him,” Millan said.

As a senior and captain of the Eagles, it was Zavalza’s time to shine and he made his mark. The Eagles have 13 seniors on their roster combined with five sophomores and a pair of juniors. Zavalza takes pride in showing the five sophomores the ropes and creating a positive soccer culture at Federal Way.

“I want everyone to get their confidence up because once we (seniors) are out, they are the next generation,” Zavalza said.

Jay Hernandez jumps in celebration after scoring the Eagles’ second goal of the game. Ben Ray / The Mirror

Juan Morales Zavalza stops on a dime against Enumclaw. Ben Ray / The Mirror