Senior captain William Nelson scored Saturday as Coupeville soccer shocked Bellevue Christian 3-0, nabbing its first playoff win in six years. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The last time the Coupeville High School boys soccer team won a playoff game, Sam Wynn was in third grade.
Jump forward six years, almost to the day, and the Wolves, with a big boost from their fab frosh, have tasted postseason glory once again.
Wynn banged home the first goal, the only one which truly mattered, then William Nelson and Aram Leyva added insurance scores, and Coupeville bushwhacked Bellevue Christian 3-0 Saturday at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium.
The playoff win, the first for the Wolves since a 1-0 win over Meridian way back on May 2, 2012, lifts CHS to 7-7-2 on the season.
More importantly, it propels them into the double-elimination portion of districts, two wins away from a trip to the state tourney.
Coupeville travels to Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma Tuesday, May 8 to face Nisqually League champ Vashon Island (12-1-3). Kickoff is 6 PM.
Win or lose, they play again May 10 at Orting High School.
That game will pit the Wolves against either Charles Wright Academy (8-1-1) or their Olympic League nemesis, Klahowya (13-2-1).
To check out the bracket, pop over to:
http://www.olympicleague.com/tournament.php?tournament_id=2658&sport=9
Saturday, Coupeville faced two obstacles, one physical, one mental.
Bellevue Christian came in at 9-5 and carried the legacy of a program which has won five state titles.
The bigger stumbling block was Coupeville’s own postseason troubles.
Five straight playoff losses, four in which they didn’t score. The worst of them came just a year ago, a 5-0 loss to none other than BC.
None of that mattered Saturday, however, as the Wolves dictated play, frustrating the Vikings so badly their coach was tagged with a yellow card at the end.
Wynn rattled home his fifth goal to open the scoring, before Nelson punched in his eighth to stretch the lead out.
Wolf goalie Dewitt Cole played his heart out in the net, with the highlight being “an awesome save to keep the game at 2-0,” according to CHS coach Kyle Nelson.
Wolf sophomore Aram Leyva beat the Viking netminder, his 12th goal of the season and 18th of his career, to round out the scoring, while cousin Derek Leyva collected two assists with a pair of pretty passes.
The three-goal assault gives Coupeville 62 on the season, the most any Wolf boys soccer team has scored in a single season.
As he marinated in the moment, Kyle Nelson was a happy man.
“Finally made that breakthrough in the playoffs,” he said. “Great team game. Everyone did their part for the victory.
“Onward into districts!”
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