Wolves (l to r) Natalie Hollrigel, Genna Wright, Mallory Kortuem and Lindsey Roberts were part of a very successful soccer squad. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
They left it all on the field – heart, soul and a few body parts.
Facing a tough rival, and a transition from grass to turf, the Coupeville High School girls soccer squad put up its best postseason performance in a decade Saturday afternoon.
The Wolves didn’t get what they were chasing — the first playoff win in program history — but they came as close as they ever have, falling 2-0 in a rough-and-tumble scrap with Vashon Island.
With the loss, CHS finishes its first season under Kyle Nelson at 8-9, tying the program’s single-season record for wins.
“They played good, very good,” he said. “A great effort all around and nothing to be ashamed about.
“We were the more dangerous team in the second half and had more shots on goal, but their goalie just made some fantastic saves on us,” Nelson added.
“We were very close. These two teams, another day, and I fully believe we’re the team that’s walking away with the win.”
The omens looked good for Coupeville, as it escaped a potentially dangerous situation just a few moments into the match.
Vashon was awarded a free kick after a tussle in front of the goal, setting up a shooter in a one-on-one situation with Wolf goaltender Sarah Wright.
Looking to drop an early dagger, the Pirate sniper went right, but flinched (perhaps after gazing into the fiery eyes of Wright and deciding she didn’t want to be pulverized?) and drilled the ball off the bar on the side of the net.
As the ball skittered away, Vashon’s shooter slumped, Wright pumped a fist and a deep sigh of relief ran through the pro-Coupeville crowd.
That sense of calm remained until the game’s 7th minute, when the Pirates slapped a short shot into the right side of the net on a breakaway.
Showing no panic, the Wolf defense responded by clamping down, with the rejuvenated Lindsey Roberts (in her second game back after a leg injury cost her a chunk of the year) and Co. instituting a No Shooting Zone.
It held until right before the end of the half, when Vashon got lucky on a long, airmailed shot that found a sliver of open net for the game’s second goal.
Coupeville was relentless in trying to break its postseason scoring drought, with Kalia Littlejohn roughing up fools (then staring down the refs) between runs at the goal.
She, fab frosh Genna Wright and senior captain Sage Renninger all had good looks at the net, but were denied time and again by a spry Vashon goalie.
Several times the Pirate net-minder hit the turf as a Wolf crashed through her kingdom, only to pop up and secure the ball at the last second.
The second half was a war of attrition, as the two teams exchanged body blows across the field.
The two biggest hits came very late in the game, with Renninger getting blasted in the … lower extremities … on one shot, while Wright went medieval on a rival while turning away a run.
With the Vashon shooter slicing towards her, Coupeville’s goalie charged out to meet her, slid and delivered a thunderous body-check while also hitting the ball, leaving permanent dents on both the rival player and the orb.
The ball came off the duo with such force it shot from in front of the net to almost midfield, without touching the ground, finally finding a landing spot nestled up against the bleachers.
Upon being picked up, the ball’s first words?
“Please call the cops! There’s a killer on the loose!!”
The loss was the final time Wolf seniors Renninger and Lauren Bayne will take the high school pitch, but Coupeville, which went 6-3 in Olympic League play, could return 16 of its 18 players.
“We’re young, very young,” Nelson said. “That showed at times today, with adjusting to the playoffs, but it’s a big positive going forward.”
After coaching the Wolf boys for several seasons, he added the CHS girls job this season, and, non-stop Disney sing-a-longs on the bus aside, was very glad he did.
“I had a great time,” Nelson said. “The girls were great and I enjoyed myself. I look forward to coming back.”
Coupeville rattled home 42 goals this season, the second-best mark in program history. They came from:
Kalia Littlejohn 16
Genna Wright 8
Lindsey Roberts 5
Sage Renninger 3
Mallory Kortuem 2
Avalon Renninger 2
Ema Smith 2
Knight Arndt 1
Lauren Bayne 1
Own goals by opposing teams 2
