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Archive for the ‘Boys Soccer’ Category

Coupeville rival wins state soccer title

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on November 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Alex Murdy is pursued by a pair of Orcas Island players during an early-season game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Our league is #1.

Coupeville’s second season of playing boys soccer in the Northwest 2B/1B League ended with a conference rival winning the state title.

Orcas Island topped Providence Classical Christian 2-1 Saturday night in Sumner, with the game decided in a 4-3 shootout.

The victory, coming in an all-NWL final, gives the Viking booters the first team state title in program history, and the second in school history.

Orcas previously won a girls soccer state title in 2009.

This version of Vikings soccer finished 18-2, beating PCC three times in four meetings.

The two teams split games during the regular season, before Orcas came out on top 1-0 in the district tourney title game.

Saturday’s finale was knotted 1-1 at the end of regulation, then went through scoreless overtime to end in that most-beloved, or most-loathed, of events — “kicks from the mark.”

Orcas goalie Paxton White came up huge, deflecting a PCC ball away from his net on the first shot, before watching a second try go wide left.

The Vikings nailed their first three kicks, with Tommy Anderson-Cleveland, William Ibarra, and Diego Lago finding the back of the net, and seemed to be running away with things, up 3-1.

But there was some drama left, as PCC rallied to net back-to-back kicks, while blocking an Orcas try, pushing things to 3-3 headed into the 10th, and potentially final, attempt.

The ball was on Pedro Guerra’s foot, and the Orcas junior was golden, flicking the title-winning shot past a flailing PCC netminder.

That capped the fifth trip to state for the Vikings booters, whose best previous finish was 2nd place in 2018.

The NWL, which has nine teams for boys soccer — picking up outsiders PCC, Grace Academy, Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood, and Lopez Island — claimed three of four team awards at the 2B/1B state tourney.

Friday Harbor earned 4th place, falling 2-0 to Crosspoint Academy Saturday afternoon.

Overall, NWL schools brought home two team state titles this fall, with La Conner volleyball also winning a third-straight 2B crown.

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Coupeville soccer rivals vie for state title

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on November 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Miguel Puente battles for control of the ball with a Providence Classical Christian player. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

So, you’re saying we have a chance?

Coupeville’s conference, the Northwest 2B/1B League, has a pretty good shot at collecting a second team state title this fall.

The 2B volleyball crown is already in the bag, thanks to La Conner claiming a third-straight championship after going 22-0 this season.

That run included three wins over Coupeville, which finished second in the seven-team NWL.

Now, three of the final four teams standing in the race for the 1B/2B boys soccer title are Wolf league rivals.

Orcas Island, Friday Harbor, and Providence Classical Christian, which joins the NWL for pitch action, are in the state semifinals after wins this weekend.

The only non-NWL team with a shot at the title is Crosspoint, which nipped Mount Vernon Christian 1-0 Saturday in a quarterfinal battle.

Orcas thumped Puget Sound Adventist 5-0, Friday Harbor squeaked by Prescott 3-2, and PCC drilled Upper Columbia Academy 3-0 to get to where they are.

The semifinals, which go down in Sumner next Friday, Nov. 19, pits PCC against Crosspoint, while NWL rivals Orcas and Friday Harbor face off.

The title game and 3rd/4th clash are both the next day.

The Orcas vs Friday Harbor semifinal will be the rubber match in that series, as the teams split during the regular season, with both games decided by a single goal.

The Vikings won the season opener 1-0, before Friday Harbor rebounded for a 2-1 victory midway through the campaign.

If PCC makes it to the championship game, the Highlanders will either face a team they swept (1-0 and 3-0 wins against Friday Harbor) or the only program to hand them a loss this season.

Orcas beat PCC 2-0 early in the season, fell 4-1 to the same team in mid-October, then rebounded to win 1-0 in the district championship game.

Coupeville, which finished sixth among the nine NWL schools to play boys soccer, went a combined 0-6 against the semifinal-bound squads, but came very close to upending Friday Harbor twice.

 

Girls soccer teams done:

It didn’t go quite as well for NWL girls pitch squads, as both Friday Harbor and Mount Vernon Christian were eliminated by the same school.

Toledo nipped the Wolverines 1-0 in the opening round of the 1B/2B state tourney, then pulled together a stunning comeback to eliminate the Hurricanes 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

The Riverhawks trailed 2-0 late in the second half, before rallying to net the game-tying score in stoppage time — that Twilight Zone period where the stadium clock clicks off reading 2:00, and only the ref has a clue of how much time is left.

The eventual game-winner came in the second overtime, eliminating any chance a NWL team would win a girls soccer state title this go-round.

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Wolf pitch warriors net awards

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on November 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Cael Wilson and teammates were honored Friday at an awards banquet. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Boys soccer is up first.

With fall sports officially ending Saturday for Coupeville High School — when three cross country runners compete at the state meet — Wolf coaches and athletes are starting to transition into awards season.

CHS coach Robert Wood and his 19 booters kicked things off Friday with a season-closing shindig.

Senior Xavier Murdy earned Ballon d’Or (best player) honors in voting by his teammates, while sophomore Nick Guay was honored with the Golden Boot for leading the Wolves in goals.

Cael Wilson, Andrew Williams, Aidan Wilson, and Murdy were tabbed as MVP’s, with Josh Guay locking down Most Improved Player honors.

Andrew Williams unloads on the ball.

In addition to pitch excellence, the Wolves were also feted for classroom work, with Scholar Athlete Awards handed out to players who recorded a 3.5 GPA or better.

There were six Wolves who nabbed that award, with Cameron Epp, Josh Guay, Nick Guay, Eddie Perera, Grant Steller, and Williams honored.

Coupeville players are also eligible for All-League consideration when Northwest 2B/1B League coaches conduct their voting later this month.

 

Varsity letter winners:

Mason Butler
Cameron Epp
Preston Epp
Tony Garcia
Josh Guay
Nick Guay
Noah Lay
Alex Murdy
Xavier Murdy
Eddie Perera
Miguel Puente
Alex Smith
Malachi Somes
Grant Steller
Matthew Ward
Andrew Williams
Aidan Wilson
Cael Wilson
Jesse Wooten

Alex Murdy believes he can fly.

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Fall pics keep … falling

Posted in Boys Soccer, Cross Country, Football, tagged , , , , , on November 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Bryley Gilbert pounds towards the finish line. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Fall sports can’t totally fade out until we’ve used up all our photos.

Today’s collection is a mix of cross country, football, and boys soccer images, with a fan pic tossed in for good measure.

To see more of John Fisken’s photographic work, pop over to:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/

 

Scott Hilborn catches up with an old friend.

Edie Bittner hits the finish line.

Xavier Murdy goes for a run.

Cristina McGrath flies across the grass.

Logan Downes sprints to freedom.

Wolf fans support their team.

Tony Garcia: “I’m kicking it way over there!”

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Season of growth for booters

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on October 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Xavier Murdy is one of two departing seniors for the CHS soccer squad. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Tony Garcia is the other 12th grader.

“There were moments of greatness. There were moments of frustration.”

Coupeville High School boys soccer coach Robert Wood could have been talking both about Thursday’s season finale, and the season in whole.

The Wolves fell 5-0 in Bothell to Northwest 2B/1B League frontrunner Providence Classical Christian.

PCC improves to 13-1 with the win, while Coupeville finishes 4-10 and will claim sixth-place among nine teams.

The Wolves, who almost saw the program shut down last season due to a lack of players, rebounded in numbers this season, with 19 booters.

CHS will only lose three — seniors Tony Garcia and Xavier Murdy, as well as exchange student Miguel Puente — but now there’s a need to keep the momentum going.

Wood used his younger players in the second half Thursday, and hopes the experience lights a fire under them.

“Can’t build a competitive team with only nine players at the start of practice/school (like last time),” he warned.

While Coupeville may not boast travel ball players like PCC and other private school teams often do, Wood would like to see a serious commitment from his players going forward.

If everyone returns, things look bright, with five of the seven players who scored this season being underclassmen.

All three goaltenders — Aidan Wilson, Alex Murdy, and Nick Guay — are also due back.

 

Final scoring stats:

Nick Guay 5
Alex Murdy 5
Xavier Murdy 3
Miguel Puente 3
Grant Steller 1
Andrew Williams 1
Cael Wilson 1

Team captain Grant Steller is among the possible returners for next year.

Nick Guay, just a sophomore, tied for the team lead in scoring.

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