Auburn Mountainview soccer strikes down Kent-Meridian

Published 3:20 pm Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Amid the rain and wind on a water-soaked pitch, the Auburn Mountainview boys soccer team clawed their way to a 3-1 win over rival Kent-Meridian on March 17.

With a new captain guiding the ship in Donovan Gleason, the Lions have won their second consecutive game to start the 2026 season.

“We were hungry. The last time we played them was in the district playoffs and they beat us at Auburn. We have been waiting to play them,” Gleason said.

Gleason, taking over for longtime coach Joey West, who stepped down following the team’s back-to-back final four appearances, has long roots to the Auburn Mountainview soccer program. Gleason attended Auburn Mountainview from 2007-11.

“It’s definitely been like drinking through a fire hose,” Gleason said. “We miss having him (Joey) in the building. But we got a bunch of guys on the last two state tournament teams on the coaching staff. We have a really cool atmosphere.”

On the pitch, Auburn Mountainview got off to a shaky start. Kent-Meridian came out firing, taking chances and asking questions of the Lions’ defense. But as he has his entire career, senior Benji Toscano rose to the occasion, especially against Kent-Meridian.

“KM is always a rivalry game. I know a lot of buddies on that team. I played high-level club with them. Even through my four years of high school, they have always been there, pushing me to do better,” Toscano said.

There is never anything foul or over the top when Toscano plays against the Royals, but the ball finds the back of the net on occasion for the Lions senior whenever he takes the field against Brian Gabert’s team.

“I don’t know what it is about KM, it gets him fired up. They must have a poster in their school like ‘we don’t want to see him.’ He kills it every time we play them,” Gleason said.

In the 28th minute, following a punt from Lion goalkeeper Ruvim Vasilchuk that sailed through the elements, Kent-Meridian defenders couldn’t handle the high bounce. Toscano pounced at the opportunity and got a fortuitous deflection when his shot bounced off the Kent-Meridian keeper and then Jeremiah Castro.

Five minutes later in the 33rd minute, a botched clearance from Royal goalkeeper Joey Villanueva found the worst person for the Royals. Toscano lofted a shot from 35 yards out, beating the entire Royal defense as it attempted to scramble back.

The Lions took a 2-0 lead into halftime, but knew two goals would not be enough.

“In the locker room we were keeping our composure, knowing that 2-0 was not a crazy lead. We stayed confident and didn’t lower our intensity in the second half,” Toscano said.

Kent-Meridian was awarded a penalty shot in the 50th minute after Abdul Abdu fouled Kent-Meridian senior Davyan Martinez. The senior pulled Kent-Meridian one goal closer, but the Lions had one final response.

On another deflected ball, this one went straight up into the night sky and found the foot of freshman Chase Bennion. The forward timed the kick perfectly and sealed the win for Auburn Mountainview in the 66th minute of play.

“We knew the second half was going to get crazy. We just had to keep our composure and keep playing our game,” Gleason said.

He didn’t score or have an assist, but Gleason made it a point at the end of the game to highlight Ben Yitbarek. His work in the midfield neutralized and otherwise potent Kent-Meridian attack.

“He has a knack for talking back to the refs, we made it a big point ‘you need to hold your tongue and just play soccer.’ He is one of the best players, I think in the state right now, and I think he should be recognized for that. By far, man of the match,” Gleason said.

The four captains, Pablo Montiel, Toscano, Vasilchuk and Yitbarek, all have played on the final day of the season the last two years. They know what it takes to win high level soccer games, and now it is their turn to lead.

“This year, every time we make mistakes we get better from it and learn from it,” Toscano said.

Gleason is already making his mark on the program in just his second match of the season. Taking after Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, the Lions stack game balls designated for each team they face this season.

“We got game balls made for each team we are playing. We have man of the match and then the game ball and they stack it on the wall in the locker room,” Gleason said.