Coupeville Sports

CHS soccer coach Robert Wood (blue hat) preps his team before a game this season. (Jackie Saia photo)

The Northwest 2B/1B League is back in charge.

Coupeville’s conference re-staked its claim to having the top collection of boys’ soccer teams across the two classifications Saturday afternoon, with Orcas Island toppling Lopez Island 2-0 in Federal Way to win a state title.

It’s the third time in the last four seasons that a NWL squad has captured the crown, with Friday Harbor winning in 2022 and Orcas in 2021.

Upper Columbia Academy, which is playing Providence Classical Christian in the 3rd/4th place game Saturday night, won the title in 2023, momentarily breaking the run.

With Orcas, Lopez, and PCC bringing home trophies, that gives the NWL 11 of the 16 awards handed out in 1B/2B across the past four seasons.

The last time Coupeville’s conference didn’t produce at least half of the final four teams was 2020 … when the pandemic erased all state tournaments.

All four of the NWL teams to make the playoffs survived through bi-district play to make it to state, with Friday Harbor, which edged out CHS and Mount Vernon Christian for the final postseason slot, also advancing.

Those Wolverines were knocked out in the state quarterfinals by Upper Columbia Academy (1-0), while Orcas, Lopez, and PCC all won their big dance openers.

Lopez took out the defending champs 2-1 in the semifinals, winning in a shootout, while Orcas drilled PCC 4-1 in the other matchup.

That set up a third showdown between the Vikings and Lobos.

The teams split their first two meetings, with both coming out on top to a 1-0 tune.

Coupeville, which went 6-8-1 overall, 4-4 in league action, lost 3-1 to Lopez and 5-0 to Orcas this season.