Coupeville Sports

The present and the future of Wolf soccer, senior Nathan Lamb (left) and freshman Zane Bundy. (Janine Bundy photo)

Nathan Lamb went out like a golden god.

Playing on his home turf for the final time in his stellar soccer career, Lamb launched an all-out assault on the goal Wednesday night, scoring a hat trick in 13 incredible minutes that sent Coupeville High School fans into a tizzy.

Toss in a goal from fellow senior Josh Wilsey, off of an assist from senior goaltender Kole Kellison, and the Wolves exited gracefully, thrashing Granite Falls 4-1 and sending their eight twelfth-graders out winners on Senior Night.

“This is a good group of guys, and it was nice to send them out like this,” said always-Zen Wolf coach Paul Mendes as his men celebrated their third win in four games with their family and friends behind him.

“It was a good capper.”

While Coupeville still has a road game at King’s Friday and then a hopefully long playoff run ahead of them, this was the final time for the Elite Eight to claim their turf as their own. And they did.

Lamb, Kellison, Wilsey, Jacob Lovell, Danny Savalza, Tim Quinn, Nathan Kircher and Luke Pelant fought through a back-and-forth first half to get to the good stuff — the second half.

Down 1-0 at the half on a mediocre goal, it could have been worse, but Kellison went airborne to make a beautiful tip save over the crossbar to deny a Granite Falls shooter.

Whatever Mendes said, or didn’t say, at halftime sparked something in the Wolves, who came out on fire and on the attack, throwing everything they had at a suddenly rattled Granite goalie.

Lamb found the back of the net first, lofting a long shot from the right side that dropped over the goaltender’s head. Then, after Pelant narrowly missed on a header, the Wolves unleashed the whirlwind.

Kellison crushed a moon shot from his own goal, laying it out in front of Wilsey, who beat two defenders, juked the goalie out of his over-priced shoes and buried the ball in the net.

Before the fans could stop screaming, Lamb lit up the joint with two more goals in a two minute span, using his left foot once, then his right foot the second time.

The first time this season Coupeville has played with a complete roster — Lovell missed a chunk of time with an injury — it was also the nicest weather the Wolves have seen all year.

Crushing your foes in spectacular fashion? Well, that’s the cherry on top of the sundae.

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The Man, the Myth, the Legend … Danny Savalza.

Lil’ Savalza.

In a little over an hour, eight Coupeville High School soccer players will defend their home pitch for the final time.

It’s Senior Night for the Wolves, with a 6 PM game against Granite Falls. Everything after this, including the final regular-season game Friday and however many playoff games Coupeville can battle through, will be on the road.

It is a superb group of players that has tasted glory in seasons past, but struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm this year. Of course, every Wolf fan hopes tonight is the spark for a late-season surge like no others.

Shock the world, Coupeville.

But tonight we will bid farewell to Nathan Lamb, Luke Pelant, Tim Quinn, Josh Wilsey, Jacob Lovell, Nathan Kircher, Kole Kellison and Danny Savalza.

Of all of them, I have known Savalza the longest.

Back before he was the heartbeat of his school, the emotional leader of the Wolf student cheering section in his thrift store dress and Bow Down hat, before he took hand-offs and slammed face-first into tacklers on the gridiron and battled for balls on the pitch, he was one of those little kids who constantly ran around Videoville.

A permanent fixture in the video game section, he was the same fun-lovin’ guy he is now, just a little shorter.

And now here is, playing in his final game on his home turf.

I would love to see him do something dramatic tonight. Score a game-winner or grab a vuvuzela horn and run across the field wailing on it, one step ahead of the Fun Police.

But even if it’s just another game, I wouldn’t miss it.

Danny Savalza is Coupeville through and through. And when the legends walk out for the final time, you take your hat off and pay witness.

Athletes come and athletes go.

Danny Savalza will always be remembered.

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Wolf goalie Kole Kellison will be one of eight players honored on Senior Night Wednesday. (John Fisken photo)

On to Senior Night!

With the chance to honor eight players just a day away, the horror of a 7-0 blowout at Archbishop Thomas Murphy Monday will hopefully fade fairly quickly.

Having had its two-match winning streak rudely busted by the second-best team in the Cascade Conference, the Wolves (2-12) head home to face Granite Falls Wednesday. JV kicks off at 4, varsity at 6.

Honored that night will be seniors Nathan Lamb, Jacob Lovell, Kole Kellison, Danny Savalza, Josh Wilsey, Nathan Kircher, Luke Pelant and Tim Quinn.

Anything will be better than Coupeville’s trip to Everett, which started roughly, with ATM punching in a goal four minutes into the match, and went off the cliff from there.

By the time things were done, Wildcat Jalen Crisler (3) and Kenny Ficklin (2) had combined for five goals, while ATM goaltender Jeff Scavotto had little to bother him.

“They showed why they are a top level team, and were running on all cylinders last night,” Wolf coach Paul Mendes said. “Their offense kept us pretty busy defending most of the night.”

Lamb broke through the defense twice for shots, but “the ball just was not bouncing our way.”

“We know we need to regroup and get ready for Granite Falls for our last home game,” Mendes said. “This is a good group and I am confident they will heal their wounds and bounce back.”

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