Carolyn Lhamon notched her first goal of the season Tuesday against Friday Harbor. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Playoffs? We’re probably not talking about the playoffs.
Despite putting up a strong defensive effort Tuesday, the Coupeville High School girls soccer team fell 4-2 to visiting Friday Harbor.
The loss drops the Wolves to 0-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 1-6 overall.
While Coupeville has plenty still to play for, and a somewhat-easier schedule the rest of the way, Tuesday’s loss all but eliminates it from postseason contention.
Only two NWL girls’ teams make the playoffs, and Mount Vernon Christian (2-0 in conference action) is a state title contender with few weak spots.
Tuesday’s win lifts Friday Harbor to 3-1 in league play and gives it a season sweep of Coupeville.
Even if everything breaks right for the Wolves — sweeping two games from winless La Conner, then pulling off a major upset of MVC, a team they fell 10-0 to earlier this season — the best they can finish is 3-3 in league play.
Friday Harbor can be no worse than 3-3, and owns the tiebreaker, while it would be mindboggling if MVC tumbled from the top spot.
But even without a path to the playoffs, Coupeville has five games left to play — or maybe six, if Sultan is rescheduled — and stacks up well with most of those foes.
Play with the same intensity they brought to the pitch Tuesday, and the Wolves will claim more victories as the season winds down.
CHS struck first in its rumble with Friday Harbor, thanks to a window-rattling free kick off of the foot of Carolyn Lhamon in the 10th minute.
The senior captain curled her shot over a wall of Wolverine players, the ball splashing home in the top left corner of the net.
It was Lhamon’s first goal of the season, and the fourth of her stellar prep career.
Friday Harbor answered right back, though, banging home two scores in a five-minute span.
McKenna Clark tied the game up with a blast from the left side, before freshman Stella Carli alertly knocked in a rebound off of a missed shot which bounced back right to her foot.
While those shots got in, Wolf goaltender Anna Myles was superb in the net, blocking several close-range shots, punching balls away to allow her team a chance to rally.
“Anna played her heart out,” said CHS coach Kyle Nelson. “She really did her best to keep us in the game.”
Coupeville forced the game’s second tie in the game’s 18th minute, when Ayden Wyman converted on a penalty kick.
Tripped up and taken down hard as she made a run, the Coupeville sophomore collected her thoughts, then lashed home her team-high fourth score of the year.
That gives Wyman eight goals through 1.5 seasons, tying her with Sophie Martin and Sage Renninger for #6 on the all-time CHS girls scoring chart.
While the teams combined to rattle home four scores in the first 18 minutes, they then went 49 minutes before either team found the back of the net again.
The ultimate tiebreaker came from Stella Carli, slapping in a shot after being awarded a penalty kick after what seemed like a fairly standard rumble in front of the net.
Friday Harbor tacked on an insurance goal with under three minutes to play, with Ava Martin nimbly hauling in a deflection before flicking in a chip shot.
Myles, who twice went to the pitch hard and ended the game limping, stood tall in the net to the end, coming up with several crowd-pleasing saves even as the final seconds ticked away.
Her play, and that of defenders Nezi Keiper, Sophia Broderick, Edie Bittner, Jackie Contreras, and the battlin’ Parker sisters, Skylar and Brynn, deserve a round of applause.
Brynn Parker, looking to get rowdy. (Bailey Thule photo)
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