Ethan Moss of Orcas takes a shot to the nads from Coupeville enforcer Cole White. (Jackie Saia photo)
Coupeville’s league continues to be the best in the state when it comes to fall boys’ soccer.
The Northwest 2B/1B League has claimed eight of 12 trophies across the past three state tournaments.
But while the NWL added two more hunks of hardware Saturday, for the first time in three years the nine-team conference failed to win the title.
Instead, it was third-ranked Upper Columbia Academy, an Eastern Washington private school out of Spangle, which claimed the first crown in program history.
Scoring both its goals in a furious first couple of minutes, the Lions edged fifth-seeded Orcas Island 2-0 in a game played in Federal Way.
Not only is this the first state title for UCA soccer, but the school, which finished 13-2, had never won a game at the big dance prior to this year.
After previously losing twice in the first round, the Lions toppled Mount Vernon Christian 2-1 and Riverside Christian 4-0 this time around before tangling with Orcas.
While the Vikings (12-6) failed in their bid to reclaim the title, they fought hard on a cool, foggy night, and have brought home a top-two trophy three straight seasons.
They were champs in 2021, then fell to league rival Friday Harbor in the finale last year.
After falling behind early against UCA, Orcas seemingly started to mount a comeback, only to have the refs puncture those dreams.
The Vikings rammed home a goal to cut the lead to 2-1 midway through the first half, but the score was waved off after the officials decided the islanders had roughed up the Lions goaltender during the play.
That was seriously debatable, and not a popular call among pro-Orcas supporters, but it stood.
The Vikings kept coming after that, mounting numerous charges, but could never completely bust through the UCA defense.
As the game progressed, things became increasingly more slap-happy, with Orcas booters frequently shoved by Lion defenders while trying to navigate a slick turf field.
Tempers flared, words were exchanged — both among players and fans — and three yellow cards were handed out, but the squads stopped short of igniting the full tilt brawl the announcers feared.
Saturday’s rumble brought an end to an eight-team tourney which began with a bang, as #1 Auburn Adventist Academy and #2 Friday Harbor were both eliminated in quarterfinal shockers.
Orcas beat Evergreen Lutheran 2-1 to open its state run, before toppling NWL mate Providence Classical Christian 3-1 in the semifinals, garnering some revenge for a regular-season loss.
PCC bounced back to beat Riverside Christian 2-1 in the 3rd/4th place contest.
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