Coupeville Sports

“Spring” soccer in the Northwest. (Kerry Rosenkranz photo)

“We could have been basketball players and stayed inside a nice, warm gym. Son of a…” (Sean LeVine photo)

They’re better than the mailman.

Through mud, rain, wind, a frozen tundra and now snow, the GU18 Whidbey Islanders soccer squad can not be denied. If there’s a game to be played, they will be there, and likely win.

That was the case Sunday, as the Islanders left behind a super-thin drizzle of white stuff on Whidbey and braved a much-thicker covering in Renton. Weather or not, they returned home with a 1-0 win and an ecstatic coach.

“Why not snow?!?!,” bellowed Islander guru Sean LeVine. “Winter soccer is not for sissies; you ladies rock!!”

There was little doubt the Islanders would play, if they could navigate the roads to Renton. With a full roster for the first time this season, they had to take advantage of actually having a bench full of healthy subs.

Fired up and ready to dominate, Whidbey was slowed more by the weather than anything else. Still, the Islanders controlled the game from start to finish, with only the snow keeping the score close.

“Despite the slog, we dominated every aspect of the game (shots, tackles, areal duels), but most impressively was our dominance in time of possession,” LeVine said. “They challenged us a bit more in the first half, but second half was all Islanders playing keep away on their half.”

Bailee Olson broke the game open with a “beautiful assist,” flicking the ball onto teammate Jacalyn Hefflefinger’s foot. The fleet-footed gunner one-touched a chip over the goalie’s head into the back of the net, and things were essentially done.

Whidbey kept coming, however, and had what should have been a second goal denied when it was stopped at the last second, not by the Renton keeper, but by a chunk of snow.

“I think the scoreline would be more dominant in our favor in good conditions,” LeVine said. “But our players played hard and got the win in some tough conditions.

“Becca Pabona had some notable play today, stepping into the center midfield role for the first time this season (since we finally have a healthy team) and partnering with Kendra Warwick to be the linchpin in the possession game and even crackin’ a few shots that barely missed,” he added. “It was a memorable game!”