Sophia Martin scored her first goal as a Wolf Thursday, as Coupeville soccer battled Friday Harbor in a rainy road game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
It was a big step forward.
Playing in the middle of a rainstorm Thursday, the Coupeville High School girls soccer team put together its best game of the still-young season.
And while the waterlogged Wolves couldn’t escape Friday Harbor with a win, falling 3-2 on a late goal, their coach came away pleased with much of what he saw.
“A close game, with a nice improvement from our game last weekend,” Kyle Nelson said.
Coupeville, which fell to 0-2 with the non-conference loss, played without leading scorer Genna Wright, who hurt her knee in the season-opener.
Without her electrifying mix of power and finesse, the Wolves found creative ways to score, showcasing other player’s ability to rattle the net with goals.
Coupeville broke through first, with its center-backs teaming up to pull off a sweet score.
Natalie Hollrigel snatched up a loose ball and knocked it off the crossbar, placing it perfectly for teammate Tia Wurzrainer to collect it and bang home the goal.
The score, her first of the season and fifth of her prep career, came on mom Lisa’s birthday.
Friday Harbor battled back to take a 2-1 lead into the halftime break, but the Wolves responded aggressively, coming out of their down-time “with renewed effort.”
Coupeville knotted things up when Avalon Renninger slipped a pass to Sophia Martin, followed by the Wolf sophomore cracking her first goal into the back of the net.
The game looked like it was on its way to be a repeat of one the two teams played last season, when they tied 2-2 on Whidbey, but Friday Harbor found a late goal to eke out the win on its home pitch.
With two games under their collective belts, the Wolves head into the start of league play next week.
CHS will remain on the road, traveling to King’s Tuesday, Sept. 17, then heading off to Sultan two days later.
After that, Coupeville gets four straight games, and six of its next eight, on its own field.
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