Coupeville Sports

        The Girls Under 17 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad. (Scott Rosenkranz photo)

A strong second half couldn’t save the day after a slow start.

Despite sparking to life after halftime, the GU17 Whidbey Islanders soccer squad had its best efforts blunted by a top goaltender and fell 1-0 to the NorthShore Ultimatum at Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell Sunday afternoon.

It was the first game in three weeks for the select soccer team (now 0-1-1), and the layoff seemed to bother his players, said coach Sean LeVine.

“Our first half was atrocious, with inaccurate passing and “feet stuck in mud” type of play,” LeVine said. “I blame the holiday ham and potatoes.”

NorthShore broke a scoreless tie in the first half, when they found a wide open player strolling through the left side of the box in front of Whidbey’s net.

After that miscue, the Islanders tightened up their defense, led by strong play from center backs Jen Spark and Jacki Ginnings.

Forcing the action in the second half, Whidbey had several runs at the goal, with the best one coming on a one-on-one attack from Kendra Warwick. Slipping free from a defender, Warwick stared down the goalie, but the NorthShore net-minder refused to blink and made a nice save to seal the victory.

While the layoff hurt, his team’s inexperience with playing on turf was also a factor, LeVine said.

“Some practices on turf fields may have helped, as it is a much faster game on turf,” he said. “Pop Keeney is a fantastic sports venue with covered home and visitor seating and new turf.

“Wish we had one of those on the Island … oh wait we do, it’s Wildcat Stadium, but they charge $250 per use,” he added. “That’s way too steep for our select soccer teams!”

The high point of the match was the return to action of Ginnings, who had missed five months with an ankle/foot injury. That cost her the high school season, but she immediately paid dividends in her first game back.

“She is a huge asset to our team,” LeVine said. “She will fill in nicely for the CHS team next fall for the great senior departing center back, Anna Bailey.”