Coupeville Sports

Forget about Communism. This Marx is leading a soccer revolution.

Haley Marx is the glue.

The Coupeville High School senior may not have seen her name in the headlines as often as Bessie Walstad or Cassidi Rosenkrance, but she is the sort of indispensable player every team needs if they want to be successful. Equal parts hustle and grit, with a strong work ethic, she will be counted on this year as a key member of both the Wolf soccer and basketball squads.

With a new coach calling the shot for the Coupeville booters — Dan d’ Almeida having replaced Mike Thornton, who moved to Texas — players such as Marx, who is entering her second year as a team captain, will be asked to provide crucial leadership for a young, talented but raw team.

And she’s ready.

“One strength that I have is my leadership ability. I believe I set real good examples for my teammates and I’m always there to support my team on and off the field,” Marx said. “My physical play with the other teams is my strongest attribute; I may not be the fastest, but I’m strong and I know how to position my body to get the ball from the defender.

“Another strength is my ability to read the field — what gaps need to be filled, when we need to shift over or switch the field,” she added. “I usually play center midfielder and one of my jobs is directing the flow of the ball up the field.”

Marx singles out several things she’d like to improve, including ball handling and headers. Making quicker decisions when she has the ball could help her to make a run at her ultimate personal goal of being in consideration for All-Cascade Conference honors.

“This is my last year and I need to give it my all and this is something that I’ve always wanted to achieve,” Marx said. “I want to score more this year and contribute as much as possible.”

After winning a program record four times during Marx’s sophomore season, including a two-game sweep of arch-rival South Whidbey, the Wolves sputtered on offense a season ago, winning only once. That won’t do for her final go-around in the red and black.

“We need to have more competitive edge and the drive to win. We need the mindset that we can beat any team if we work hard and play as a team,” Marx said. “What we need to do differently is transition faster into our offense. This season we are really working hard on pressing forward, creating plays and opportunities to be able to score.”

While she finds it hard to choose between her two sports at any given moment (“If you were to ask me while I was playing one, I would probably say that sport, but it changes.”), she enjoys her time on the field and court. She plans to play intramurals in college, and is currently trying to decide between UW, WSU, Eastern and Montana State as her next destination.

Marx intends to study athletic training or physical training, with an eye on possibly landing a job with a college or professional sports team. It’s an idea that was hatched by her time studying physiology in Colleen Fox’s class at CHS.

“Her class was so much fun and really interesting. She is a great teacher,” Marx said.

An avid traveler who dreams of one day seeing Ireland, Australia and Italy, Marx plans to study abroad during her college days. She’s prepping for that by joining a travel club at CHS, with hopes of visiting Costa Rica during spring break.

For the moment, however, she’ll limit her travels to up and down the soccer pitch, dreaming of a moment of glory, and putting in the hard work and sweat necessary to get to that moment.

“I have that hope of one day shooting the winning basket during a game and hearing the whole gym screaming and cheering for you,” Marx said. “On the soccer field, the thought of a one-on-one and winning the ball and making a winning fifty-yard shot against a rivalry team would also be the greatest feeling in the world, too.”