Coupeville Sports

Hailey Erbe

The Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad, which brings together players from all three Island high schools, returns to action in December. This is one in a series of articles on the girls who proudly wear the jersey.

Hailey Erbe enjoys just about everything associated with soccer.

Ask the Oak Harbor High School senior for her favorite things about the beautiful game, and she can reel off a whole list for you, no problem.

“I enjoy being a part of a team, and working hard, traveling, getting ready for games, having fun with your teammates, and winning!,” Erbe exclaimed.

It’s a life she came to early, first picking up the sport as a five-year-old. She originally played with her local YMCA, before joining her friend’s team, the Ladybugs, in third grade.

After a brief break, she came back to soccer in eighth grade, playing for her junior high team. After that came the combo of high school and select soccer.

A talented player, even if she underplays her skills (“Hmm … I honestly don’t know what my strengths are yet”) Erbe bounces from position to position, filling in wherever her coaches need her.

“I can play any position,” she said. “But I’m not very good at midfield … yet.”

A big fan of sports in general (PE is her favorite class), Erbe continues to work on fine-tuning her game on the pitch.

“I would like to work on my speed, my aggressiveness, and my position(s),” she said.

Off the field, Erbe draws support from her family (“My parents have been a BIG inspiration. Without them I wouldn’t be doing the things I do”) and, like most teens, can do a thousand different things all at once.

“Outside of school and sports, my interests include hanging out with friends and family, shopping, going on trips, vacations, sleeping, texting and watching my favorite movie, “Scarface!”

Read Full Post »

Kenzie Perry

They’re back, just not all of them.

After a break brought on by the high school season, the GU18 Whidbey Islanders select soccer team returned to the pitch Saturday in a game marred a bit by rust and missing players.

With goalkeeper Kenzie Perry controlling as much of the damage as possible, the Islanders fell 3-0 to the visiting Tracyton Pumas.

“While every player individually had moments of inspired and skilled play, as a whole there were too many uninspired moments and way too many mistakes,” said Islander coach Sean LeVine. “Defensively, where our team is historically pretty solid, we made too many errors that they capitalized on.”

The Islanders were playing without Ayla Muller (ACL surgery), Jacki Ginnings (concussion) and Bailee Olson (foot injury).

The absence of Muller, who is out for the season, meant Perry was in goal the entire game, instead of rotating out into the field. That limited Whidbey a bit.

“Kenzie was handcuffed to the goal for 90 minutes. She is a great keeper, but she is also a beast of a forward and it hurts us offensively to not have her on the field,” LeVine said. “However, she kept the score from being 0-6.”

Perry made 10 saves, while the three shots that found the back of the net came on “great shots.”

Also stepping up strongly were Becca Pabona, Selena Medina and Jacalyn Hefflefinger. With the missing players, Pabona was playing out of position at right defender, and sparkled as usual.

As did her two teammates.

“Selena combines skill and aggression and gave us our best chances offensively, while Jacalyn has a motor that never stops,” LeVine said. “Jac plays hard from whistle to whistle and is a good example for her teammates.”

The Islanders’ next match is 11 AM Jan. 5 at Ft. Nugent Park, then the squad kicks off State Cup tournament play after that.

Read Full Post »

Jacalyn Hefflefinger and Spencer.

Hefflefinger has the brawn to back up her soccer skills.

The Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad, which brings together players from all three Island high schools, returns to action in December. This is one in a series of articles on the girls who proudly wear the jersey.

Soccer has taken Jacalyn Hefflefinger around the world.

The Oak Harbor High School junior first took to the pitch as a first-grader in Florida, and, after winding her way to Washington state three years later, she has taken her soccer skills overseas as well.

Trips to Austria, Germany and Spain with soccer teams broadened her horizons and honed her game (“They were such great experiences and definitely helped me with my soccer skills”).

Now, the academy and select team vet is bringing her talents to the Islanders on a full-time basis, after playing as a guest player with them during summer tournaments.

“I wanted to learn more about soccer and to become a better player so after high school season I went off Island and started playing at Northwest United. I played there year around and my coach, Darren Bell, taught me all I know,” Hefflefinger said. “He helped me become a better athlete and understand the game.

“This year, unfortunately, coach Darren couldn’t coach our team so I had to find somewhere else to play,” she added. “Thankfully coach Sean Levine offered to have me play with them and I couldn’t be happier. I love the group of girls I am playing with and the coaches are great!”

During her time on the pitch, Hefflefinger has bounced between positions (“I have played all over the field, minus goalie”) but has settled in at the outside mid position.

“It’s where I feel more comfortable,” Hefflefinger said. “The outside is kinda like a safety net to me; playing middle is just too much field!”

A hard charger on the field (“I love the challenge and how competitive everybody gets!”), she values the friendships she’s made (“Every soccer team I’ve played on, we were all a family, and that’s one of the main reasons I love playing.”)

A strong student with an interest in sports medicine (“I enjoy learning how to deal with injuries and all the different bones in the body”), Hefflefinger spends her free time watching “sad, romantic” movies, playing with her seven-month-old puppy Spencer and working with Big Brothers Big Sisters, where she helps her “little,” Gabby Bozovich.

More than anything else, her days as a soccer player have taught her to be strong and to overcome adversity.

Hefflefinger tore ligaments in her left ankle at a soccer camp in the summer before her sophomore year and had to wear a protective boot. When she came back midway through the season, she re-injured herself and missed the rest of the year.

But, with the help of her select coach, Darren Bell, she never let the injury put a stop to her fighting spirit.

“I was stressed out when I started playing again because I was scared of getting injured again and my left ankle was weak from not playing on it for so long,” Hefflefinger said. “He would call and ask me how I was doing and things I could do to help strengthen my ankle, which really helped me a lot.”

Now healthy and rampaging across the pitch, she lives by a simple, powerful motto.

“I never give up on the field; I always try to give my all!”

Read Full Post »