Ana Luvera charges into the fray. (John Fisken photos)
Wolf goalie Julia Myers blasts the ball out of the danger zone.
It was not an ideal combination.
Facing a team chock full of players known for having big, booming legs capable of airmailing goals in from considerable difference, the Coupeville High School girls’ soccer team also had to deal with playing into a gusty, 30 MPH headwind in the first half Monday.
Aided a bit by having the wind at its back, and a lot by the caliber of its scoring aces, visiting Klahowya jumped out to a 4-0 lead at the half, then coasted home for the win.
The #5 ranked team in 1A, the Eagles improved to 13-1 overall, 5-0 in Olympic League play and clinched the league title.
Even with the loss, Coupeville remained in second place in the four team league, and is all but guaranteed a playoff spot.
The Wolves (5-5-1, 2-2) sit in front of Port Townsend (2-10, 1-3), which nipped Chimacum (2-11, 1-4) in a 2-1 nail-biter Monday.
The top three teams make the playoffs, and, barring a monumental upset, Chimacum will lose to Klahowya Tuesday, which would eliminate them from finishing ahead of Coupeville in any scenario.
The Wolves finish with two games against Port Townsend, hitting the road Tuesday before welcoming the Redhawks to Whidbey Thursday. Win at least one of those two and CHS finishes second.
That shouldn’t be a tall order if the Wolves play like they did in the second half Monday.
Led by scrappy senior goalie Julia Myers, who made adjustments at the half and shut out Klahowya after the break, Coupeville looked much stronger.
Only three schools have held Klahowya to less goals in a game this season, and two of those — Olympic and North Kitsap — are 2A schools.
Seattle Christian is the only 1A school to fare better than Coupeville, and it handed the Eagles their only loss, 3-0.
“Second half was a much different affair; we made our runs in the second half,” said CHS coach Troy Cowan. “Marisa Etzell going the length of the pitch multiple times and getting either a shot on goal or some dynamite crosses … great job defense and Julia.”
Coupeville honored its eight seniors (Ivy Luvera, Christine Fields, Ana Luvera, Etzell, Myers, Micky LeVine, Erin Rosenkranz and Jacki Ginnings) at the half, players who have led the team for some time.
“The girls have done a great job of believing in themselves and taking this program to uncharted territories,” Cowan said. “They are true pioneers and they aren’t finished yet.
“These girls have some fire in their bellies and I’m not sure if I would want to face them anytime soon,” he added. “Time will tell just how far they go and just how good we are.”
A huge part of those player’s development has come from their time in select soccer playing with the Whidbey Islanders.
“High school coaches get, if we are lucky, three months to work with these student athletes, so we really just tweak and try and polish the girls to fit our systems,” Cowan said. “The real work is done by their select coaches.
“Sean LeVine, Scott Rosenkranz and Ryan Baker, thanks coaches, you guys are the best!”
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