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Wilson wows, Wolves win

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on September 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Cael Wilson brings the lightning and the thunder. (Finn Price photos)

The opening act was a huge success.

Kicking things off Saturday in the first game of a soccer/football doubleheader at Mickey Clark Field, the Coupeville High School co-ed booters romped to their first win of the season.

Controlling the action from first whistle to the last moment of action, the Wolves bounced visiting Grace Academy 3-1 in a game which felt incredibly one-sided.

The non-conference win against a league rival lifts CHS to 1-2-1 on the season.

The teams will meet a second time later this season in Marysville in a tilt which will count in the conference standings.

If Saturday’s game was a taste of what’s to come, it should make Wolf fans quite happy.

Punching in two goals before halftime, Coupeville seized control of the game and never let go.

The first score came courtesy senior Cael Wilson, who got a gift from the Grace Academy goalie.

The visiting netminder lost control of the ball while trying to clear it in front of his net, with the orb bouncing right to the rampaging Wolf.

Wilson slipped past his rival, took a quick step or two, then slapped home the game’s first goal a little over 12 minutes into play.

Sage Arends outduels his rivals.

From there, the Wolves added a second tally, with Sage Arends alertly picking up a loose ball while stuck in a pack of players, before popping a shot into the back of the net.

CHS goalie Hurlee Bronec was lights out while holding Grace Academy scoreless in the first half, then moved out into the field after the break.

Sam Richards replaced him in net and also clamped down on the visitors, though one ball got through (barely) during a wild melee with 17 minutes to play.

Mason Butler preaches loves, while hammering fools on defense.

Coupeville’s defenders stood tall in the waning moments, denying Grace a chance to tie, with Mason Butler and Lillian Ketterling among those blunting incoming attacks.

The insurance goal came in stoppage time after Wolf 8th grader Brian Thompson and the Grace goalie collided in the box.

The young whiz kid stepped aside to let his fellow ginger, Wilson, line up the penalty kick, and the grizzled vet hit paydirt.

Banking in his second goal of the afternoon, he notched his third score of the campaign and ninth of his prep career.

Wilson is now tied with Angel Partida as the team’s top scorer this season.

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Some history, some frustration

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on September 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Matthew Ward pushes the attack. (Finn Price photo)

Friday Harbor has been to the mountain top, while Coupeville is still trying to learn all the tricks of the ascent.

A Wolverines boys’ soccer program which has a state title in its resume showed calmness under pressure Tuesday, turning a one-goal game into a runaway win on the road.

Unable to hold on to an early lead, the CHS co-ed booters eventually fell 8-3 in a game in which the final score was a bit deceptive.

The non-conference loss to a conference team (just go with it) drops the Wolves to 0-2-1 on the still-young season.

While Coupeville coach Robert Wood was understandably frustrated afterward — “The captains and coaches are talking how and what needs to change to ensure we can hold a one-goal lead indefinitely” — the game was close for 50+ minutes.

Trailing just 4-3, the Wolves were looking to knot the score in the second half, only to watch Friday Harbor suddenly slip away.

Two goals in a 90-second span widened the margin to 6-3, before the Wolverines tacked on another pair of scores in the waning minutes.

Coupeville goaltender Hurlee Bronec had several strong saves in the second half, including one where he snuffed out a shot at point-blank range, but he was also under fire almost constantly.

Wolf goaltender Hurlee Bronec punishes the soccer ball. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A pair of yellow cards assessed to the Wolves also seemed to put a hitch in their get-up-and-go, and a late rally never materialized.

The loss came despite a strong offensive effort in the first half from Coupeville.

Playing their second-straight home game at Mickey Clark Field, the Wolves broke through first when Angel Partida bashed home a goal less than four minutes into play.

Netting his team-best third score of the season, he gave CHS an advantage which it didn’t hold for long.

Amid much confusion, Friday Harbor broke the plane of the goal (or did it?) to knot the game at 1-1, though it took the ref an eternity to signal the score as actually having happened.

The other five goals in the first half were far more convincing, starting with Wolf senior Preston Epp pulling off a sweet move after the opposing goalie tried, and failed, to clear the ball out in front of his net.

Instead of snatching the bouncing orb up, the Friday Harbor netminder poked at it with his leg but sent it right to Epp by accident.

Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, the Wolf sharpshooter promptly spanked the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the year, and eighth of his prep career.

Unfortunately for Coupeville, their foes then gave a preview of their lightning-fast ability to score, banking in three scores in a span of four minutes to reclaim the lead.

Trailing 4-2, the Wolves scored right before the end of the half, beating the clock and the odds when a long, booming shot by Cael Wilson took an advantageous bounce and nicked off of a defender.

Cael Wilson surveys the defense. (Finn Price photo)

Whether he knew it or not at the moment, Wilson, a current senior who has been a varsity player since 8th grade, became the first player in CHS soccer history to score in five separate seasons.

Known for his scrappy defense, he has also tallied seven goals, giving his family 20, when you add in the 13 scored by now-graduated older brother Aidan.

A third brother, freshman Edmund Wilson, also saw some varsity field time, then came back around to anchor the Wolf JV as they played a 30-minute “friendly” in their season debut as a team.

“It was really great to see the JV game,” Robert Wood said.

“The kids did well; many learning points, and honestly, they did really, really good for that being the first time they saw a live opponent.”

His fellow Wolf coach, Kimberly Kisch, agreed.

“Good to see some of the kids who aren’t especially experienced get out there and begin to put things together,” she said.

Brynn Parker and Josh Lujan, both returning from injury, drew praise for their play while 8th grader Brian Thompson set up Frankie Tenore, who drilled in a buzzer-beating goal on her final run of the day.

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Pitch pics populate your feed

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on September 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Ayden Wyman patrols the pitch once more. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

A Saturday afternoon matinee will always bring them in.

The Coupeville High School co-ed soccer team made its home debut Saturday, fighting to a 1-1 tie with Crosspoint, and several cameras could be heard clicking away.

One of those belonged to John Fisken, who provides us with the pics seen above and below.

To see everything he snapped, pop over to:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/Coupeville-Soccer-2024-2025/Soccer-2024-09-14-vs-Crosspoint

 

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Some wins, some losses, a few ties

Posted in Football, soccer, standings, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Danica Strong checks out an early-season game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Welcome back to full tilt action.

Fall high school sports are fully engaged at this point, with everyone starting to work their way through the early schedule.

Four of six events this coming week are at home for Coupeville, providing local fans a chance to see the Wolves up close and personal.

Co-ed soccer leads the way, with home games against Friday Harbor and Grace Academy Tuesday and Saturday, respectively.

While those are against league foes, both early-season tilts are considered non-conference affairs, just to keep things confusing.

Joining the booters at home are Wolf football, which welcomes Granite Falls to Cow Town Saturday, and volleyball, which travels to Friday Harbor Tuesday before hosting Mount Vernon Christian Thursday.

Finally, CHS cross country hits the trails down in Langley Saturday for the 45th annual Carl Westling Invitational.

Where things sit as we hit the mid-point of September:

 

Northwest League boys’ soccer:

School League Overall
Coupeville 0-0-0 0-1-1
CPC-Lynnwood 0-0-0 0-0-0
Friday Harbor 0-0-0 0-0-0
Grace Academy 0-0-0 0-0-0
La Conner 0-0-0 0-1-1
Lopez Island 0-0-0 0-0-0
MV Christian 0-0-0 2-0-0
Orcas Island 0-0-0 1-1-0
PC Christian 0-0-0 0-0-0

 

Northwest League football — (11-Man):

School League Overall
Coupeville 0-0 2-0
Friday Harbor 0-0 1-1

 

Northwest League football — (8-Man):

School League Overall
Concrete 0-0 0-2
Darrington 0-0 1-1
La Conner 0-0 1-1

 

Northwest League volleyball:

School League Overall
Concrete 0-0 2-1
Coupeville 0-0 1-0
Darrington 0-0 2-0
Friday Harbor 0-0 1-1
La Conner 0-0 1-0
MV Christian 0-0 1-0
Orcas Island 0-0 0-1

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Home opener a stalemate for booters

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on September 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s seniors claim control of the soccer pitch. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There’s always something new.

Robert Wood is 48 games into his run as a soccer coach at Coupeville High School, but Saturday’s home opener against Crosspoint provided a different wrinkle.

Playing through a few rain drops spit from an overcast prairie sky, the Wolves rallied in the second half to forge a 1-1 tie with their private school rivals, the first ever stalemate under their pitch guru.

With the contest being a non-conference one, the teams passed on playing overtime or going to a shoot-out to decide things. Instead, a mixed result for both squads.

And while Wood felt his team played better than it had in an earlier road loss to Auburn Adventist Academy, he wasn’t terribly overjoyed with Saturday’s result.

“We beat ourselves,” he said. “Just the very definition of apathetic.

“We didn’t play well enough to keep control of the ball and were tentative a lot of the time. Stuff to work on.”

The Wolves, now 0-1-1 on the season, play at home twice next week, welcoming Northwest 2B/1B League foes Friday Harbor and Grace Academy to Coupeville for non-conference games Tuesday and Saturday, respectively.

That will give the Wolves a chance to work on tightening up their attack and finding the fire in their collective bellies.

It’s not hard to believe it’s there, as there was moments Saturday when things sparked to life.

Trailing 1-0 early in the second half, despite outshooting Crosspoint, Coupeville finally found the counter when Sage Arends knocked in his first varsity goal with 32 minutes left to play.

The Wolves had at least two chances to claim the lead in the late going but came up just short.

Senior Preston Epp sent a penalty kick just barely wide left, the ball coming tantalizingly close to finding the back of the net as Crosspoint’s goaltender watched his life flash before his eyes.

Then, with the game in stoppage time, 8th grader Tamsin Ward, already having an impact in her high school debut, bashed a high arcing shot under pressure.

While the ball needed to be several feet lower to hit paydirt, it was still an impressive wallop from a young gun who shows no fear on the pitch.

Coupeville is playing as a co-ed team for the second straight season, while rebuilding the roster for a girls’ team, with female booters like Ward, Ayden Wyman, Lillian Ketterling, and Taylor Marrs holding their own in male-centric games.

Crosspoint tallied the afternoon’s first score 19 minutes into play, when freshman Caleb Smart slipped a shot through a thicket of players in front of the net.

Other than that shot, on which he was largely blocked from seeing the incoming ball, Wolf goalie Hurlee Bronec was lights out.

At one point the senior netminder deflected a shot at close range, then soared high to punch another ball up and over the goal.

Coupeville’s defensive front made Bronec’s job a lot easier after that, largely keeping Crosspoint at bay across the game’s final 50 minutes or so.

With a strong core of seniors, which includes Cael Wilson, Mason Butler, Dane Hadsall, Epp, Wyman, Bronec, Angel Partida, and Matthew Ward, the Wolves are primed for a successful run.

While Saturday’s tie was a mixed bag, Wood remains focused on the positives.

“We’ll keep working, that’s for sure,” he said as he headed into the night.

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