Fresh off being tabbed as Homecoming royalty Coupeville sniper Edmund Kunz netted another goal. (Jackie Saia photos)
They ran them off the field. Literally.
With six different players netting a goal Tuesday, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad drilled visiting Grace Academy 8-0, ending the game 20 minutes sooner than expected thanks to a fairly new mercy rule.
The lopsided win lifts the Wolves to 5-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 8-3 overall, and keeps them in sole possession of second place in the 10-team conference with three NWL bouts left to play.
Coupeville hits the road for its next two rumbles, traveling to Friday Harbor (3-2, 6-4) Thursday, then trekking to Bothell October 21 to square off with Providence Classical Christian (4-1, 6-3-1).
After that comes a non-conference game with Crosspoint Christian (3-7) October 23, before the regular season finale at home October 28 against two-time defending state champ Orcas Island (5-0, 11-0-1).
Tuesday’s tilt against Grace Academy (0-5, 0-9) at Mickey Clark Field offered Wolf fans plenty of opportunities to let loose with cheers, as the goals rained down from all angles.
Barely 75 seconds into play, CHS freshman Malachi Chapa weaved through a pack of defenders before slapping home the game’s first, but far from last, score.
Coupeville kept the pressure on in the first half, with 98.7% of the action happening on one side of the field, as Wolf goaltender Sam Richards got to be the loneliest man in town way down on the other end of the pitch.
Wyatt Fitch-Marron got his head into the game, redirecting a pass from Edmund Wilson into the back of the net to make it 2-0, before Sage Arends and Edmund Kunz punched in goals to jam the gas pedal through the floor.
The soccer ball can run, but it can’t hide from Malachi Chapa.
Up 4-0 at the half, the Wolves doubled their output in short order coming out of the halftime break.
Chapa netted his second score of the night, followed by Brian Thompson zinging in a well-placed shot.
Then, after Edmund Wilson crunched home his team-leading 11th goal of the season while flying down the right side, Thompson popped back up, capping the goal explosion when he converted off of a deflection in front of the net.
Richards moved out into the field for the second half while Shiloh Sandlin slid into the net, and he completed the shutout with 20 minutes of spotless play.
Under new WIAA rules, a lead of eight or more becomes official once 60 minutes of play is completed, sending Grace back to Marysville early while the Wolves celebrated with their fans.
With the game well in hand, CHS coach Jim Kunz was able to give valuable field time to young guns like Gracen Joiner, Ryder Phipps, and Mario Martinez, with Phipps in particular giving a strong push up front.
After delivering an eight-goal bonanza Tuesday, Coupeville has scored 42 on the season, with 12 different players hitting paydirt.
That’s the second-best showing in program history, trailing only the 2004 squad, which had 15 scorers.
Wilson’s goal was the 19th of his prep career, leaving him one shy of tying William Nelson for #4 on the all-time CHS boys career scoring chart, while Arends netted his 16th.
Meanwhile Thompson (6), Kunz (5), Chapa (4), and Fitch-Marron (3) added to their tallies.
It’s like they’re heading to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
