By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

SEATTLE--The University of Washington's excellent run into the Elite 8 of the NCAA men's soccer tournament can be partially attributed to the season success of two local players, Kennedy Catholic grad Ian Lange and Mount Rainier grad Darwin Jones, with Jones experiencing a quad pull five games ago but still did plenty this season for the Huskies.

Lange's been a force all season for the Dawgs, including helping the Huskies, on offense and defense, not to mention, the do-or-die PK ending of the round of 16 Furman University game. The UW beat the Paladins from Greenville, S.C., 6-5, after the 90-minutes of regulation play and two 10-minute "golden goal" overtimes and a penalty kick, sudden death, shootout, finale at Husky Field Sunday.

Now Lange and Jones, who hopefully gets the doctor's OK to play the next crucial NCAA tourney game, will travel to Michigan State University this week, for a date in East Lansing, MI, on Nov. 30. That game will be huge now, likely getting shown on ESPN, as it will be a place -- the Elite 8 -- the Huskies got to last season, too. Another local athlete plays on the team and has helped the team's success, too, but, did not enter this game. Jimma Oganga, a Thomas Jefferson grad and Highline Community College standout, will travel the 2,500 miles away, too.

But it was some game against Furman for the Huskies.
"Oh, that was stressful," said Lange, a junior, speaking to Jones nearby. "Took a year off my life."
"Yeah," said Jones.

The whole game played out at incredible speed, with breakneck intensity.

And scoring goals for the UW just did not happen, shooting hard shots on goals early on, including one by Lange racing over the crossbar in the 15th minute. Lange, however, was not a forward. He was a midfielder in this game. And, also, Lange was not just a midfielder, he was a defender, but he did go up front, too, shooting shots. The reason for Lange's free roaming all over the field? Lange played at the bottom of the diamond of a four-defender attack, but moved forward freely, moving into the center midfield and forward area. UW men's soccer coach Jamie Clark gave Lange a specific tag, too.

"Ian is a center midfielder," said Clark. "He's what is called a 'box-to-box' midfielder."
Lange's game extended from just being a deft handler of the ball in the middle of the field to distributing the quilted sphere to outside players and to the striker and two wings up top to hinging the defense as well. Of course, Jones, a senior who made 1st Team All-Pac 12, would have been the starting UW striker against Furman, if not injured via the quadracep muscle strain five games ago.

"I am the leading scorer on the team, but I haven't played in the last five games," said Jones, who plays center forward, or, "striker," and, who played, succesfully, on the Rams under coach, Jerry Capodanno. Jones helped the Des Moines school reach the state championship game his senior season. "I pulled my quad by shooting the ball in a game against UCLA."

So, no Jones meant scoring would be tough for UW against Furman, who beat University of Alabama-Birmingham in the first round by PK's while UW received a first round bye in the round of 32.
"Darwin's electric, one of the best players in the country, if he's healthy," said Clark. "It's been five weeks now since the injury. Hopefully, we get him back for Michigan State. Even if he can't start, we could, really, use him as a spark, a player that comes off the bench and does a great thing."

In the game against Furman, Lange provided electricity all throughout the game. The Lancer grad moved with a seemingly current aspect to his game, going up for headers constantly and winning the balls in the air, almost every single time, and, not being a particularly tall and meaty player at 6-1 and 180 pounds.
"All heart and soul," said Clark. "And great range. You see how many headers he wins, and he won all his tackles."

For the game's start, the UW pressured more. Three near-scores of diving Furman keeper stops of balls attested to that and the Huskies outshot Furman, 11-3, in the first half and second half, 10-3 total. But, toward the end of the 0-0 game and in the final minutes of overtime's two 10 minute "golden goal" frames, it was Furman pressuring. They actually outshot the UW, 4-0, in OT, but no goals and Lange was a big reason why.

In the game's waning stages a Furman player twice dribbled the ball into the dangerous, top of the 18-yard-box circle, and Lange defended. He stuck a foot out for the ball to thwart both of the attacks.
"He closes holes," said Clark. "He's a glue guy. He connects passes. He does a lot of the nitty-gritty work out there."

And, so, after the two, 10-minute overtimes were played out and no one scored, the penalty kick, shoot-out was needed to decide the outcome and send one team into tears and one team into glee -- not to mention send one team on a plane ride to Michigan State University for an Elite 8 game.
The UW shot first in PKs, and, it's first kicker missed. Furman's first kicker scored, so it was 1-0 Paladins. Then, UW's second kicker missed and Furman's missed, too, with both shots hitting posts. The UW third kicker's shot was saved while the Furman kicker's shot hit the post. UW's Lange stepped up for the fourth kick for the Dawgs and nailed it to make it 1-1.

"The penalty put me in a rough situation, emotionally and mentally," said Lange. 'It was no surprise, but our entire team thoght it was over when three shooters missed their penalties. I was nervous but stayed calm and made up my mind early on where I wanted to shoot and put it there."
Furman's kicker scored, though, so it was 2-1 and that solidified the importance of Lange making his kick. The UW nailed its fifth kick, making it 2-2, but the UW shot first in the shootout so Furman got the last kick and, if made, game over.

But UW goalie, Spencer Richey, made a great, diving save, going right, low. In extra kicks, the sixth, seventh, eight kickers all made their shots for UW and Furman. So it was tied, 5-5. A freshman, Beau Blanchard, made his kick for UW while Richey saved the Furman PK, and, Lange and Jones and Oganga's team won the near-heart-stopping affair, 6-5.
"Exciting, crazy game," said Lange. "We got out of it."

Jones smiled and nodded. Then, both, simultaneously, locked gazes, realizing they survived an incredible finish to a soccer game.
"Yeah, baby," said Lange, and, Jones, both reaching up high into the air and slapping high fives to each other.
Jones is a senior and Lange is a junior, with both having played club soccer growing up but not against each other.

"I was a younger-aged guy, so, I didn't have to play him, thankfully," said Lange.
Lange grew up playing P-1 soccer and Jones joined soccer around age 12 and neither played with each other until playing on Washington Premier. Then both Lange and Jones joined the Seattle Sounders Academy team, a U-18 club, for the best of the best players in Washington State, a feeder program for the Sounders Major League Soccer professional team and other MLS franchises.

Lange transferred from Todd Beamer in Federal Way after his sophomore season of making the 1st Team Honorable Mention two seasons. And, as a Lancer, he attended school but did not play soccer there his junior or senior seasons.

Lange noted moments in time of his best memories on the Huskies, so far, three years in to a brilliant college career.

"The biggest goal I ever scored for UW was the late-game winner against Stanford in the round of 16, in last year's NCAA tournament," said Jones, whose team lost next round, to New Mexico, in the Elite 8. "It was a header from the infamous, Michael Harris, flip throw in the 80th minute of regular time."
Jones mentioned a goal, too.
"I scored a free kick against Cal, a direct free kick from 30 yards out, near post. The keeper moved for it, but saw it late," said Jones of a regular season game, 3-2, win, on the road, late in the season, back on Nov. 9.

So, talent galore in Lange and Jones, despite no high school play. And, Oganga, who came to TJ, by way of Kenya, was that school's leading scorer, and, helped the Raiders reach the 4A state playoffs his junior and senior seasons. And then Oganga helped Des Moines-based HCC in community college soccer, as, they reached the semifinal of the NWACC Conference the year Oganga played there in 2011.

Jones' star status is way up there. He didn't need to go to UW to play soccer, but wanted to for obvious good reasons.

And, by not needing to go to college for a degree, it is meant that the Sounders were a luxurious option for Jones?

"They wanted me the last two seasons," said Jones, who not only helped the Rams reach the final his senior year but, also, qualify to state all four years he played. And Jones was first team All Pac-12 his junior season, too, to note. "I will go on the team, most likely, after the UW college season here is done. Wait until the season here ends and then we will talk contracts."

Seattle Sounders forward Obafemi Martins, who played on the USA National Team in the World Cup last summer and nearly scored a goal late in an overtime loss to Belgium in a quarterfinal, is a player Jones' knows. --and emulates.

"I try to mimic all his movements, he is one of my favorite players," said Jones. "He is fast, has good composure on the ball, and, very skillful. We are good friends. I have played against him and the Sounders, too, a lot,. He tells me to stay focused."

Lange tries to play his game after a player who many consider the current best soccer player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, who helped Portugal to a 2-2 tie with the USA in a first round game, despite very little supporting cast around him on that country's World Cup team.

"He's one of the best goal scorers ever," said Lange. "I like how he is big, fast and a powerful player. I also like how he holds himself as a professional, doing everything he can on and off the field in order to make his game top-notch."

Lange, like Jones, aspires to play at the next level and his coach, Clark, said his work ethic and continued growth in the game of soccer can get him there, too.

"After college soccer, I have great ambitions for playing in the MLS," said Lange. "At this level, it is everyone's dream. I have always wanted to be a professional soccer player, ever since I was four years old and started playing."

Oganga does not get the notoriety of Jones and Lange on the team, but he's deserving of opportunity. This is just the UW Huskies he's playing soccer for now. And, that's nice in itself, a scholarship as well as food, housing chipped in, for four years of free education. That's more than nice, even, but, still, Oganga's a good soccer player, one of the best from our area and Clark knows Oganga merits something this season.
"He is talented, knows how to play," said Clark of Oganga. "I feel bad as a coach, not playing him as much as I would like. Jimma's a fun guy to watch play. Just, some guys don't get as much playing time as others. He deserves a bright playoff moment from his hard work put in at practice."

Can Oganga get to the next level -- the MLS pro league -- is a good question and Clark answered it.
"He does, in a weird way," said Clark. "He has all the tools. He has to embrace the physical side of the game more. He's 5-7 and 150, but, he's really quick. He's not the fastest player on the team, but, for five yard bursts of speed, he may be the quickest."

Asked to break down, specifically, Lange, Jones, and Oganga's key traits, into a few words, coach Clark answered in effervescent, calculated fashion, of each.
Oganga is "mercurial," said Clark. "He just pops up, every now and then. Bits of magic. He's different in the way he moves and thinks than a programmed player."

Jones is "a freak of nature," said Clark. "Talent. Strength. Ability."

Lange is "a gamer, loves competition, a winner," said Clark. "He likes competitive games . On games we should win easily he doesn't like as well as hard games."
Oganga spoke of coach, Clark, too.

"Good coach," said Oganga. "I like him. He communicates with the players, good. And, coach is a fun person on and off the field. He is a pretty competitive person in practice."
And, your teammates?

"Good," said Oganga. "It is fun. And, very competitive."
Lange spoke of Clark when given the chance.

"Jamie is a great coach," said Lange, who is majoring in sociology at UW after having took a class with a friend and connecting with the subject. "He is really professional with us when he needs to be, yet, he knows when to turn the switch to a joking and less serious coach, to be just another one of the guys. He manages us in a very smart and efficient manner as well. He is always preparing for whatever is coming next. He is the most intelligent coach I have ever played for. He knows what it takes to succeed at this level and is always there for the guys, making sure we have everything we need in order to succeed, on and off the field."

Jones put in some good words, too, on Clark.

"He's very motivating," said Jones. "Always calm. Never puts pressure on his players. He's the reason why I came here to UW, that, and, also, I wanted to stay close to home. He's the coach who recruited me coming out of high school."

Jones mentioned Oregon State University, and UCLA, and, Santa Barbara, and Wake Forest as schools asking for his soccer services while he was still in high school.

And, a little more on that decision to go to college when the money was there to go pro right out of high school or shortly after getting to the UW and showing promise to the Seattle Sounders.
"Can't play soccer my whole life," said Jones, who is majoring in communications and even minoring in American ethnic studies. "A lot of pros wished they'd got their college degrees before going pro."
Lange, too, wanted to say some words to younger players who play for top soccer clubs, like the Highline Premier FC out of Burien.

"Just to stay focused on and off the field," said Lange. "Half the work comes in the classroom, even though soccer is my life. There are a lot of steps you need to take to reach the collegiate level of play, but take them one step at a time and you can end up anywhere you want."