Cameron Epp gets his head into the game. (Morgan White photo)
They hide on the internet but show up on the field.
It’s nearly impossible to find info on the Summit Atlas boys soccer squad online.
In person however, the Orcas proved to be a quick, slightly chippy group, one which bounced Coupeville from the bi-district playoffs Tuesday night.
Slipping in a pair of goals, while blunting most of the Wolf attacks, Summit Atlas came out on top 2-0 in a game played at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium.
The loss ends Coupeville’s season at 5-9, while the Orcas, now 4-1-1, advance to play Mount Vernon Christian Friday, Nov. 4 at Sedro-Woolley High School in a loser-out, winner-to-state clash.
CHS pitch guru Robert Wood watches the action unfold. (Morgan White photo)
Tuesday’s tilt, played on a slightly slick turf field under a hanging patch or two of fog, was one of the few times the Wolves didn’t play on natural grass this season.
That seemed to throw Coupeville off a bit at times, while Summit Atlas looked a little more natural sliding across the pitch.
The Orcas were far from spectacular, but they were efficient, they were willing to bump and grind as long as the refs looked the other way (and they frequently did), and they caught just the right angles on their goals.
There were no thunderbolts, no deftly slapped shots, just two balls — one in each half — which found a small break in the Wolf defense and ended up nestled in the back of the net.
Summit’s first score came in the game’s 11th minute, while its second hit paydirt in the 63rd.
The Orcas kept the majority of the action on Coupeville’s side of the field, allowing their goalie to spend a fair amount of time cooling his heels and hopping around in an effort to stay warm in the slightly chilly early-November air.
Aidan Wilson, who paced Coupeville in scoring during his senior season, had two decent looks at the net, but that was about it for the Wolves.
One of his shots went wide left, while a backwards header while airborne brought a roar from the pro-Wolf crowd but went up and over the crossbar.
While Coupeville’s offensive attack was a bit muted, its defense hung tough, with Preston Epp, Grant Steller, and crew fighting off several Summit charges, in addition to a collection of wayward elbows, hands, and knees.
Grant Steller unleashes a nuclear blast. (Morgan White photo)
Wolf goalie Nick Guay stood tall in the net, blocking several close-range shots and providing calm leadership for the backline.
The playoff game was the final high school soccer contest for CHS seniors Steller, Wilson, Reiley Araceley, and Cameron Epp, but Coupeville can return 12 of 16 player’s next season, including five who scored this fall.
Playing in the toughest 2B/1B league in the state — a conference which includes the defending state champs — the Wolves held up well.
Coupeville beat Friday Harbor, currently ranked #3, and held top-ranked Orcas Island scoreless for the first 30 minutes in a recent game.
As CHS coach Robert Wood and his players build back from the program being nearly shutdown after the pandemic, the Wolves are headed in the right direction.
“I’m very happy with our season, and how we played most of the time this year,” Wood said. “It’s all positive progress.”
Final season scoring stats:
Aidan Wilson – 10
Preston Epp – 5
Cameron Epp – 4
Cole White – 3
Reiley Araceley – 2
Nick Guay – 2
Alex Smith – 2
Cael Wilson – 2
Grant Steller – 1
A final group photo op. (Morgan White photo)
