The eternal dance begins anew. (Julie Wheat photo)
Youth will have its day.
With only one senior playing soccer at Coupeville High School this fall, both the girls and boys pitch squads have plenty of field time to offer their 8th and 9th graders.
But that also means both Wolf teams are largely comprised of players learning on the job, which means there may be some struggles against veteran-heavy foes.
That was evident Friday and Saturday, respectively, as the CHS girls fell 8-0 in a road trip to La Conner, before their male counterparts were bounced 9-0 at home by defending state champ Orcas Island.
The losses drop the boys to 0-2 on the season, while the girls, who are returning after a two-year absence, slip to 0-3.
Frankie Tenore is the lone Wolf senior playing soccer this fall. (Coupeville High School Yearbook staff photo)
Boys play a man down:
A game after having only two subs, the Wolves had none Saturday in their home opener.
In fact, they were actually a man down, with just 10 players in uniform as the team deals with illness and injury.
Orcas pulled one of its players after securing a solid lead, and played even for the remainder of the match, while the Wolves on the pitch never backed down.
“Our goalie, Sam Richards, played strong, making some fantastic saves,” said CHS coach Jim Kunz. “Some shots were too well placed to stop.
“Defense also did very well with veteran player Shiloh Sandlin having a couple shot-stopping slide tackles.”
Facing an Orcas team aiming to make a run at a third state title, the Wolves found few cracks in the defense.
“Our offense struggled to drive the ball to the goal during the first half,” Kunz said.
“But they came out strong in the second half with multiple shot attempts by the Edmunds (Wilson and Kunz).”
The Wolves push the attack. (Julie Wheat photo)
Girls hit the road:
Coupeville’s female booters have a home-centric schedule in their return to action, with only one road trip in their first eight games.
That came Friday with the trek to La Conner to square off with a Northwest 2B/1B League rival.
The Wolves last win, which came in the finale of the 2022 season, was against the Braves.
CHS was unable to field a full girls team in either 2023 or 2024, but has revived the program this fall thanks to an influx of young players.
Back to the grind:
Both Wolf squads return to action Tuesday, Sept. 16, with the girls hosting Orcas Island at 4:00 PM, and the boys traveling to Marysville to play Grace Academy.
No soccer ball shall escape! (Coupeville High School Yearbook staff photo)
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