Coupeville Sports

Micky LeVine, far left, scored the deciding goal Saturday. (Kali Barrio photo)

In the middle of brutality, they found beauty.

Playing on a soccer field that was closer to an ice rink and facing a team that reveled in nastiness, the Whidbey Islanders GU17 soccer squad pulled off a dazzling win Saturday.

With goals from Kendra Warwick and Micky LeVine lighting the spark, the Islanders swatted the visiting Issaquah Arsenal 2-1 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score might sound.

“While both teams struggled for footing on the ice rink that was Ft. Nugent Park today, we were still able to out-possess and out-hustle the other team,” said coach Sean LeVine. “We dominated possession and had several opportunities on their goal. They, on the other hand only had a few on our end.

“I’m very happy with how we played and I suspect that if we played them on a better surface the final score would be a lot more lopsided in our favor,” he added.

With the icy conditions perhaps freezing the part of their brains where the conscience resides, the Issaquah players came out in a bad mood, whacking the Islanders around on virtually every play. That philosophy immediately backfired, however, as it set up Whidbey’s first goal.

A foul gave the Islanders a free kick and Jennifer Spark smartly faked out the defenders, then fed Warwick with a beautiful pass. Warwick promptly blasted the ball past the hapless goaltender, setting off a celebration.

“It was a work of art,” Sean LeVine said of the goal.

His own flesh and blood then put the game on ice (ha ha…), as Micky LeVine punched in a goal after being set up by two of her teammates.

Becca Pabona and Ayla Muller combined for a crowd-pleasing give-and-go down the sideline, with Pabona crossing to LeVine, who converted faster than any ’80s music fans could chant “Oh Micky, you’re so fine, you’re so fine, you blow my mind!!”

Issaquah only got on the board late in the game when an Islander player finally tired of the physical play and took out an opposing player in retaliation. The ensuing free kick deflected off a Whidbey defender and flopped into the net.

Now 1-1-1 on the season, the Islanders return to their home field 11 AM Sunday for a State Cup game. That causes a bit of a conflict for their coach, as the Seattle/Atlanta football playoff game kicks off an hour earlier.

“I know, I know, it’s during the Seahawks game,” LeVine said, before warning, “But it’s OK, I’m DVRing it … so no spoilers!!”

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        The Girls Under 17 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad. (Scott Rosenkranz photo)

A strong second half couldn’t save the day after a slow start.

Despite sparking to life after halftime, the GU17 Whidbey Islanders soccer squad had its best efforts blunted by a top goaltender and fell 1-0 to the NorthShore Ultimatum at Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell Sunday afternoon.

It was the first game in three weeks for the select soccer team (now 0-1-1), and the layoff seemed to bother his players, said coach Sean LeVine.

“Our first half was atrocious, with inaccurate passing and “feet stuck in mud” type of play,” LeVine said. “I blame the holiday ham and potatoes.”

NorthShore broke a scoreless tie in the first half, when they found a wide open player strolling through the left side of the box in front of Whidbey’s net.

After that miscue, the Islanders tightened up their defense, led by strong play from center backs Jen Spark and Jacki Ginnings.

Forcing the action in the second half, Whidbey had several runs at the goal, with the best one coming on a one-on-one attack from Kendra Warwick. Slipping free from a defender, Warwick stared down the goalie, but the NorthShore net-minder refused to blink and made a nice save to seal the victory.

While the layoff hurt, his team’s inexperience with playing on turf was also a factor, LeVine said.

“Some practices on turf fields may have helped, as it is a much faster game on turf,” he said. “Pop Keeney is a fantastic sports venue with covered home and visitor seating and new turf.

“Wish we had one of those on the Island … oh wait we do, it’s Wildcat Stadium, but they charge $250 per use,” he added. “That’s way too steep for our select soccer teams!”

The high point of the match was the return to action of Ginnings, who had missed five months with an ankle/foot injury. That cost her the high school season, but she immediately paid dividends in her first game back.

“She is a huge asset to our team,” LeVine said. “She will fill in nicely for the CHS team next fall for the great senior departing center back, Anna Bailey.”

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    Players huddle under a tent before heading out into the cold rain. (Kali Barrio photos)

  Ethan Spark, brother of Islander defender Jen Spark, is super-excited to be spending his Sunday in Bellevue.

Slightly less than toasty…

It was a cold, miserable day in Bellevue Sunday and Paige Waterman was sick.

But nothing, not weather, not illness, can stop the golden right foot of Waterman when she gets near the goal.

Ignoring all her troubles, the Oak Harbor High School sophomore (formerly a Wolf) chipped a 30-yard shot past a flailing goalie, burying her shot in the back of the net and giving the GU17 Whidbey Islanders soccer squad an early lead in their season opener.

A fluke goal and a lack of subs eventually killed the Islanders chances of nabbing a victory, but stellar goal-tending from Ayla Muller and Makenzie Perry allowed the local squad to escape with a 1-1 tie against Newport FC.

The tying goal came after Newport got an unwarranted corner kick, said Islander coach Sean LeVine. A ball that clearly went off a Newport player last was awarded to the offending team, which then dropped it in the box, where it skipped around on the wet turf and found its way through the Whidbey defense.

Gassed a bit in the second half, as they were playing with just two subs, the Islanders still kept coming, but couldn’t get a deciding goal past the Newport net-minder. On her side of the field, Perry was virtually flawless, ignoring the slashing rain to turn away the few shots Newport was able to fire her way.

“Anybody who saw that game knows that we were the dominaters and aggressors,” LeVine said. “We out-played, out-possessed and outran that team.”

The Islanders will have more bodies very soon, as Jacki Ginnings, who missed the entire Coupeville High School season with an injury, has been cleared to start practicing.

“This will be a huge asset as she and Jen Spark are our two best center defenders,” LeVine said.

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