Coupeville Sports

The present and the future of Wolf soccer, senior Nathan Lamb (left) and freshman Zane Bundy. (Janine Bundy photo)

Nathan Lamb went out like a golden god.

Playing on his home turf for the final time in his stellar soccer career, Lamb launched an all-out assault on the goal Wednesday night, scoring a hat trick in 13 incredible minutes that sent Coupeville High School fans into a tizzy.

Toss in a goal from fellow senior Josh Wilsey, off of an assist from senior goaltender Kole Kellison, and the Wolves exited gracefully, thrashing Granite Falls 4-1 and sending their eight twelfth-graders out winners on Senior Night.

“This is a good group of guys, and it was nice to send them out like this,” said always-Zen Wolf coach Paul Mendes as his men celebrated their third win in four games with their family and friends behind him.

“It was a good capper.”

While Coupeville still has a road game at King’s Friday and then a hopefully long playoff run ahead of them, this was the final time for the Elite Eight to claim their turf as their own. And they did.

Lamb, Kellison, Wilsey, Jacob Lovell, Danny Savalza, Tim Quinn, Nathan Kircher and Luke Pelant fought through a back-and-forth first half to get to the good stuff — the second half.

Down 1-0 at the half on a mediocre goal, it could have been worse, but Kellison went airborne to make a beautiful tip save over the crossbar to deny a Granite Falls shooter.

Whatever Mendes said, or didn’t say, at halftime sparked something in the Wolves, who came out on fire and on the attack, throwing everything they had at a suddenly rattled Granite goalie.

Lamb found the back of the net first, lofting a long shot from the right side that dropped over the goaltender’s head. Then, after Pelant narrowly missed on a header, the Wolves unleashed the whirlwind.

Kellison crushed a moon shot from his own goal, laying it out in front of Wilsey, who beat two defenders, juked the goalie out of his over-priced shoes and buried the ball in the net.

Before the fans could stop screaming, Lamb lit up the joint with two more goals in a two minute span, using his left foot once, then his right foot the second time.

The first time this season Coupeville has played with a complete roster — Lovell missed a chunk of time with an injury — it was also the nicest weather the Wolves have seen all year.

Crushing your foes in spectacular fashion? Well, that’s the cherry on top of the sundae.