Junior Lauren Bayne leads a lock-down defense. (John Fisken photos)
Sophomore Ema Smith is ready for a big second season.
One step from the top.
After back-to-back second-place finishes in the 1A Olympic League, the Coupeville High School girls’ soccer squad wants to make the big push necessary to upend Klahowya.
“We want to win a title and get our soccer banner up into the gym,” said determined Wolf coach Troy Cowan.
Coupeville is coming off a season when it went 6-7-3 (tying the program record for wins), 4-2 in league.
The Wolves fell 2-0 to Vashon Island in the playoffs, the second straight season the Pirates ended Coupeville’s postseason dreams.
After several seasons of working with predominantly young teams, the CHS coaching staff has some grizzled vets to lean on in 2016.
“Hard to believe, but finally I can say experience and toughness,” Cowan said, when asked about his team’s strengths.
While he lost four-year starter Jenn Spark and fleet-footed Kirsten Pelroy to graduation, virtually everyone else, including the best single-season scorer in program history, is back.
That’s sophomore Kalia Littlejohn, who found the back of the net 10 times her first go-around, often set up by older sister Mia, now a junior.
The pair, who were both First Team All-League picks, lead a pack of veteran players back to the pitch.
Senior Lauren Grove, fresh off a dominating performance at the state track meet in the spring, is back for a second season as the team’s starting goaltender.
“I expect her to have a fantastic year in the box,” Cowan said.
Other big-timers include senior midfielders Bree Daigneault and May Rose, junior midfielder Sage Renninger, junior defenders Mckenzie Meyer and Lauren Bayne and sophomore defender Lindsey Roberts.
Supplementing the returning players is a strong batch of incoming freshman, some of whom could play key roles right off the bat.
“I am really excited to see what Avalon Renninger, Sage’s little sister, can bring,” Cowan said. “I am hopeful she can make an immediate impact with the team.
“Tia Wurzrainer, Mallory Kortuem. Megan Thorn has also had a very impressive camp as well.”
Whichever players end up on the pitch, the Wolf coaches want to see them take the next step in their evolution.
“We are always working on transition and possession,” Cowan said. “To meet our goals we will need to improve both these categories.”
After playing six league games in each of the first two seasons in the Olympic League, Coupeville will see that number jump to nine this year.
That brings soccer even with other sports like basketball, softball, baseball and volleyball.
That means three games apiece against Port Townsend, Chimacum and Klahowya.
The Wolves are a combined 7-1-1 against the first two foes, but 0-4 against the Eagles, who won a state title in 2014, before being knocked out in the first round of state last year.
Coupeville opens its season at a four-team jamboree in Oak Harbor this Thursday (6 PM), along with Lake Stevens and South Whidbey.
The season’s first “real” game is set for Sept. 8, when the Wolves host South Whidbey in a non-conference tilt.
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