Matthew Ward fights for a ball in an earlier game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The final score was deceptive.
While the record books will state that Mount Vernon Christian’s JV boys’ soccer squad beat Coupeville 3-0 Monday at Mickey Clark Field, it was a one-goal affair for 79 of the game’s 80 minutes.
With both teams drenched by sheets of rain in the late going, the Hurricanes slipped two goals into the net in the final 60+ seconds to set a margin which doesn’t properly reflect the closeness of the tilt.
Coupeville’s JV, which is a mix of male and female players, sits at 0-2 on the season.
The Wolves matched MVC blow for blow through the game’s first 30 minutes, which was played with a little wind and some occasional raindrops.
CHS goalkeeper Josh Lujan was on point in net, rejecting several Hurricane shots, while his teammates narrowly missed on their own scoring opportunities.
Angel Partida and Ava Mitten each had runs at the net, with the former pushing his shot just wide left, while the latter narrowly missed on a ball which drifted right.
Mount Vernon finally broke the scoreless stalemate in the game’s 31st minute, bashing in a long ball which caught a gust of wind and sailed high into the corner of the net.
That gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 advantage, and the game would remain that way for another 48 moments.
Lujan fended off several MVC opportunities, running far out from the net and sliding to snatch the ball up right before a Hurricane player hurdled him at one point.
The Wolf sophomore also punched a ball away, using both fists to deflect the incoming ball.
Coupeville’s defense, anchored by Hurlee Bronec, Mason Butler, and Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim, gave Lujan some big help, though their team’s offensive chances largely dried up as the day got wetter.
By the end, the sprinkles had turned into sheets of rain coming down hard enough to make noise heard up in the press box.
In between the far-off thuds, a nicely dry CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith was happily reminiscing about the three times he was ejected from games during his coaching days.
The game’s final two goals, which came late in stoppage time, were almost afterthoughts, punctuation on a game which would be best remembered as a tightly fought 1-0 affair.
Coupeville’s varsity soccer team returns to action this Friday, Sept. 29, when it hosts Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood in a 6:00 PM game.
The Wolf JV gets a rematch with MVC in mid-October, one of four rumbles left on its tentative schedule.
Coupeville Sports 