Jenn Spark was a two-way terror Sunday, scoring the winning goal and nabbing her first yellow card for a “nasty, almost legal” slide tackle. (John Fisken photo)
The win streak lives on for another week.
It’s at four straight and counting for the Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad, after it capped a perfect weekend with a 2-1 win over the ISC Arsenal in Skyline Sunday.
With two wins in two days, the Islanders are 5-2 and in third place in their league. They’ll try to keep the streak alive next Sunday when they travel to Tracyton.
Sunday was a tale of two halves — one virtually flawless, one horrid, but not bad enough to snatch victory away.
“The second half shall be ‘the half to never speak of’,” said Islander coach Sean LeVine. “I’m not really sure what happened; I’ll have to review tape, but it was … well, I won’t speak of it.”
The “cold, wet, nasty weather” seemed to sap the life out of the Whidbey players, but they held on, surrendering just one long, booming goal into the left upper corner of the net.
The first half, by contrast, had been an impressive show, as the Islanders dominated, controlling the flow of the game and raining down shots on the Arsenal goalie.
Hailey Erbe opened the scoring with her first goal of the season, deflecting a shot from Jacki Ginnings into the back of the net.
After numerous close calls from Ginnings, Kendra Warwick, Micky LeVine, Jacalyn Hefflefinger and Bailee Olson, the Islanders got that elusive second score on a free kick from Jenn Spark.
Olson was gang-tackled by two Arsenal defenders at the top of the box, giving Spark her opportunity. She immediately responded, “ripping a laser shot over their wall, deflecting the ball off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net.”
It was one of two highlights for Spark, who later notched her first yellow card for a “nasty, but almost legal, slide tackle.”
Olson, who left the game after being taken down by a hard slide tackle, was LeVine’s choice for player of the game
“Bailee continues to put so much pressure on their defense that it creates many opportunities for her teammates,” LeVine said. “It also frustrates the defense and earns us free kicks in dangerous areas.
“I suspect she doesn’t even realize how much she contributes with her hustle and tenacity,” he added. “But she definitely deserves a lot of credit for our recent offensive success!”
Coupeville Sports 