Nick Dion and Co. are lunging into a new season. (John Fisken photo)
Freshman Aram Leyva (middle) arrives, ready to chase brother Abraham’s school scoring records. (Pat Kelley photo)
Zack Nall (20) is one of three returning players who scored last year for the Wolves. (Fisken photo)
They’re not throwing away their shot.
It’s a wild new world for Coupeville High School boys soccer, which heads into a new season missing the two biggest goal-scorers in program history and facing a different schedule than in previous seasons.
After playing six conference games in each of their first two seasons in the 1A Olympic League, the Wolves will up that to nine this time around.
That brings soccer even with other sports such as basketball and volleyball and guarantees, if nothing else, everyone’s league record will look different by season’s end.
In the first two seasons, boys soccer was the only sport to have all four league teams post the exact same mark both times around.
Two-time champ Klahowya has gone 6-0 in each previous season, while Port Townsend (4-2), Coupeville (2-4) and Chimacum (0-6) have also all been locked in.
While the Wolves want to topple the Eagles, who have gone to state the last two seasons, finishing 4th in 2015, they also want to get over the edge against the RedHawks.
Twice CHS has come within a goal of knocking off Port Townsend.
Generating goals will be a big key to any Wolf success, as Coupeville took a big hit with the graduation of premium net-finders Abraham Leyva and Zane Bundy.
In all, CHS lost 10 seniors from a team which finished 5-9-1, losing 2-1 to Bellevue Christian in the playoffs, but Leyva’s exit leaves the biggest question mark.
He rattled home 20 goals in his senior campaign, finishing off his three-year stint with the Wolves with a program-record 45 scores.
There is hope, though, as three of the eight players to score last season are back on the pitch.
Ethan Spark, who was second in goals with eight a year ago, returns, as well as First-Team All-League pick William Nelson (5 goals, school-record 14 assists) and Zack Nall (3 goals).
Joining them is freshman Aram Leyva, Abraham’s younger brother and a potent scoring weapon at every level he’s played.
Coupeville coach Kyle Nelson has five returning letter winners, with defenders Uriel Liquidano and Laurence Boado joining Nall, Nelson and Spark.
Several JV players from last year are expected to make the jump this season, including midfielders Nick Dion and Brandon Jansen, defenders Uriah Kastner and Teo Keilwitz and goalies Brian Roberts and Mathew Shreffner.
Freshman James Wood is also in play for a varsity spot.
“We will be a young team this year, with quite a few varsity players having this be their first year on the varsity squad,” Kyle Nelson said. “But we are returning some key players who will be playing in central positions up the field, forming a solid core.
“My goal is to form a well-organized, disciplined, defensive squad,” he added. “And with anyone who watches us play this year seeing significant improvement through the course of the season.”
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