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Posts Tagged ‘Kenzie Perry’

One final bow, one more victory!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , , on April 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Ayla Muller with coaches Scott Rosenkranz (left) and Sean LeVine. (Kali Barrio photos)

   Ayla Muller, with soccer coaches Scott Rosenkranz (left) and Sean LeVine. (Kali Barrio photos)

The GU19 Whidbey Islanders gather for one last home game.

The GU19 Whidbey Islanders gather for one last home game.

Micky LeVine (left) and Erin Rosenkranz. (Sean LeVine photo)

Coupeville stars Micky LeVine (left) and Erin Rosenkranz exit with a smile. (Sean LeVine photo)

It was for the playoffs.

It was for revenge.

It was for a chance to walk off their home field together, united, as winners one last time.

Most of all, it was for Ayla.

When the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad pulled out a thriller Saturday, edging the visiting Bellevue Ravens 1-0, it capped a whirlwind week.

The team held a red, white and blue going-away party for Ayla Muller, their spark-plug, who is moving to Roda, Spain with her family.

Then they took the turf at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Stadium for the final time — most of the team is comprised of high school seniors who are headed towards graduation — and assured they would play on for at least another week.

Just without Muller, who exits the country May 1.

“It was a very emotional game,” said Islander coach Sean LeVine. “Our final home game for our team and Ayla’s final game with us.

“This is a tough loss for our team as she is not only a great player, center-back, goal keeper, but she is absolutely adored by her teammates and coaches!,” he added. “In fact, we owe much of our shut out today to her.”

Muller, who shared time in goal with Kenzie Perry, took a leg to the head late in the game to cap her Islander career.

“She went out with a bang, literally, but thankfully she is fine,” LeVine said. “We are sad to see her go, but excited for her new adventure.

“I know she plans to play soccer over there, so I’m very happy about that.”

Beyond Muller’s departure and the game being the home finale, a victory was huge.

It avenged a 3-2 loss to the Ravens from earlier in the season and moved the Islanders into first place in their State Cup bracket.

Whidbey advances to play at Bellevue next weekend, with a win or possibly a tie in that game pushing them into the semifinals May 9.

With both teams fighting for their playoff lives, the game was a hard-fought affair, but the Islanders had two factors firmly in their favor.

“What a game! It was really non-stop action between two fairly evenly matched teams,” LeVine said. “The only difference was that we have the better defense and conditioning!

“We out hustled them!”

With the Islanders playing stellar defense, Perry was only called on for two saves in the first half, while Muller made three after the break.

Whidbey’s goal came on a bang-bang play, where it had several looks at the net, but actually scored via an own goal by the Ravens.

Late in the second half Jacalyn Hefflefinger, powering down the sideline, slid a cross into the box, finding Lydia Peplinski on the fly.

Defended well, Peplinksi took the ball wide and put a cross right across the top of the goal box, where Perry (now playing on the field) came flying in and got a touch on it, causing it to deflect off a defender and into the goal.

Even if the ball hadn’t taken a fortunate bounce, the Islanders were primed, with Gillian Crossley sitting ready to punch the ball in as well.

“It was an own goal, but a real team effort!” LeVine said.

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Can’t beat the birthday girl!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , , on April 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Kendra Warwick tallied two goals, an assist and a win as she celebrated her 17th birthday Sunday. (John Fisken photo)

Kendra Warwick tallied two goals, an assist and a win as she celebrated her 17th birthday Sunday. (John Fisken photo)

“After we warmed up, we became the dominant team.”

For the first 15 minutes Sunday, GU19 Whidbey Islanders soccer coach Sean LeVine had a bit of trepidation.

Then he remembered his team was awesome and settled in to watch it roll host Seattle United Shoreline 4-0 in a State Cup game.

“It was an almost complete game,” LeVine said. “If you’d have asked me during the first 15 minutes if we’d win 4-0 I’d have said probably not. However, I’d have forgotten that we are typically a late starter.

“They had the better possession during the first 15, but after we warmed up, we became the dominant team,” he added. “After that we out-possessed, out-hustled, out-smarted, and out-hearted (if that were a word) our opponent.”

The Islanders broke through first with a gift-wrapped present for birthday girl Kendra Warwick.

The Seattle goalie deflected a shot by Lydia Peplinski, but the ever-sneaky Micky LeVine zipped in, snagged the rebound and banged the ball back to the hard-charging Warwick.

A quick flick of her golden foot (“their keeper had no chance”) and Whidbey had the only goal it would need on the afternoon.

Whidbey poured it on in the second half, with Warwick continuing to have a birthday game for the ages. She was later picked as the Player of the Match.

The pride of South Whidbey punched in a knuckler from 30 yards out for her second goal, then laid in a “beautiful through pass” to Peplinski, who launched a rocket into the side netting.

Not content with a three-goal lead, the Islanders pulled off a miracle fourth goal, had it called off by the refs, then pulled off the same exact scoring play just to prove it wasn’t a fluke the first time.

Alyssa Cross launched a throw-in that found Kenzie Perry’s head.

When her initial shot was blocked, Perry picked up the deflection and popped it past the flailing rival goaltender.

A spoilsport ref waved the goal off, however, deciding Cross had stepped onto the field during the follow-through on her pass.

Not to be deterred, Cross made the same throw a second time, Perry put her noggin in the right spot, and this time the ref could no nothing but marvel at the goal along with everyone else.

“Unbelievable!” said a jubilant LeVine. “That’s heart and determination!”

With Whidbey fighting to hold on to the shutout — which gives it more points in the State Cup tourney — things got down and dirty in the late going.

A Seattle player repeatedly kicked Islander Bailee Olson’s injured ankle (aiming for the very visible ankle wrap) and when Olson briefly retaliated, she was booted with a red card.

The ejection will cause her to miss the Islanders next game.

“It wasn’t a good decision, but I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same,” LeVine said.

Down a player, the Islanders stepped up aggressively over the final 15 minutes, holding on to a shutout that was shared by Perry and Ayla Muller.

“I am very proud of how my team played and responded today,” LeVine said.

The Islanders return to action in two weeks, hosting the Bellevue Ravens 12 PM Saturday, April 25 at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Stadium.

It will be the final home game for this edition of the squad and pits them against a tough rival they lost to 4-2 earlier this season.

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Tears on the pitch!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , , on March 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Erin Rosenkranz makes with the fancy footwork. (John Fisken photos)

Erin Rosenkranz makes with the fancy footwork. (John Fisken photos)

She turned 19 the day before, but age hasn't slowed down the spring in Micky LeVine's step.

   She turned 18 the day before, but old age hasn’t slowed the spring in Micky LeVine’s step.

Kendra Warwick

Kendra Warwick, motoring her way to Player of the Match honors.

Sean LeVine’s pillow might be a bit tear-stained this morning.

The GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer coach had a restless night after watching his squad fall apart a bit Sunday during its State Cup opener.

A day after closing the regular season with a thrilling win, the Islanders were sluggish, out of sorts and a step behind, falling 1-0 to visiting Seattle United South.

“It was pretty bad for us,” LeVine said.

Seattle United nabbed the game’s lone score inside the first 10 minutes, slipping a ball into the net off of a poorly-defended free kick.

“Our team apparently fell asleep during the free kick and allowed three players to run into the box unmarked and get about three touches on the ball before scoring,” LeVine said. “It way really ugly defending, or actually no defending.”

While the Whidbey defense clamped down after that, the offense was nonexistent for much of the day.

“Much of the rest of our game was sluggish and uninspiring,” LeVine said. “We had several great through passes to get in behind the defense, but poor timing or bad touches plagued us in the final third and we were unable to get any good shots off.”

The Islanders best opportunities both involved Micky LeVine.

On one, she took a through pass from Kendra Warwick and had the goalie beat, only to see the ball slide just wide of the open net.

On the second, Micky LeVine chipped the ball to Lydia Peplinski in front of the goal, but the young gun got caught up in a scrum and couldn’t get her shot off.

Playing with no reserves (again) and back-to-back games took its toll on the Islanders.

“We were the better team, but they came to play and we were too sluggish, possibly from playing a tough game the day before with no subs,” Sean LeVine said.

Warwick, the ultimate spark-plug, ran away with Player of the Match honors.

“That kid has a motor and she was flying around disrupting anything the other team tried to do in the middle,” Sean LeVine said. “She also put more through passes behind the defense than I could count.

“We just need someone to finish those chances that she creates.”

He also called out goaltender Kenzie Perry for her solid play in net.

“Kenzie kept us in the game, making some tough saves and she again played a full 90 in the net,” he said. “She’s been playing very well for us this season.”

The Islanders have two weeks off before returning to State Cup play. They’ll hit the road to play Seattle United Shoreline Sunday, April 12.

To see more photos from this game, pop over to:

http://www.shutterfly.com/progal/gallery.jsp?gid=768a5498ce7fdabc075e

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“Another stellar finish to a tough season!!”

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , , , on March 29, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Micky LeVine celebrated her 18th birthday Saturday by helping her team pull off a huge win. (John Fisken photo)

  Micky LeVine celebrated her 18th birthday Saturday by helping her team pull off a huge win. (John Fisken photo)

Strong down the stretch.

Capping a season-ending five-game unbeaten streak Saturday, the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad bounced Crossfire Select 1-0 in a nail-biter.

The victory, coming over their league’s second-place team, gave the Islanders a final mark of 4-2-6 in North Puget Sound League play.

Whidbey kicks off State Cup play with a game at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Stadium 1 PM today.

Crossfire, which entered the game with just a single loss and the distinction of being the only squad to have taken down the league’s top team, was a formidable foe.

But one the Islanders were ready to knock off.

“Another stellar finish to a tough season,” said Whidbey coach Sean LeVine. “We knew we were in for a fight, but I also knew that we can compete with any team in the league.”

The Islanders dominated the first half, punching in the game’s only goal when Gillian Crossley took advantage of sloppy clearance by the Crossfire goalie to set up the score.

Snagging the ball, she laid in a flawless pass to a waiting Lydia Peplinski, who smacked the ball to the far post, well out of reach of the scrambling goaltender.

Coming out of the break, the Islanders, who, as usual this season, were playing with no subs, had to face down a much deeper opponent intent on attacking repeatedly.

“Second half we had to weather storm after storm,” LeVine said. “Our tired team hung in there though and played smart, maintaining their shape and toughness.”

Islander goalie Kenzie Perry, bolstered by a tough band of defenders, stood tall and claimed her third straight shootout.

The game was capped by an unusual moment in which the ref tripped, fell backwards and knocked himself out cold.

“A first for me. Scary moment,” said LeVine, who doubles as a paramedic in real life.

Crossley was tabbed as the Player of the Game for her “hustle, tenacity and getting in on the assist” while birthday girl Micky LeVine “had a great game too, putting some dangerous crosses in and defending well.”

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Kenzie Perry denies you (and your goals)!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , on March 23, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Kenzie Perry threw down her second straight shutout Sunday.

Kenzie Perry threw down her second straight shutout Sunday.

Ah, soccer, where they get excited about a 0-0 game.

Still, any time you face down a top-level team and rise up and meet them at their level, there’s something to be appreciated.

That was the case for the GU19 Whidbey Islanders Sunday, when they used a stellar game from goalie Kenzie Perry and an inspired defense to forge said tie with the Lake Hills Legend of Bellevue.

“Great game today!,” said Islander coach Sean LeVine. “This was a great game against a very tough team who is in third place in our league and only one game behind the first place team.

“We weathered a storm and proved we can compete with anyone in the league,” he added. “This game will go a long way in preparing us for the State Cup.”

The game was a tale of two halves, with Bellevue dominating play in the first half, before the Islanders took control after the break.

“First half was all them. They dominated possession on our half for the first 45 minutes,” LeVine said. “We maintained a good defensive shape and were nearly impenetrable in the back due some fantastic defenders.

“When they did get a shot or cross off Kenzie was on fire today in coming off her line and stopping shots and crosses,” he added. “She finished the day with 10 saves, most did not trouble her too much.”

Having kept the game scoreless while under a barrage, the Islanders switched up tactics in the second half and took the game to Bellevue.

“We changed our tactics for second half, encouraging the other team to possess and then trying to catch them on a counter attack,” LeVine said. “The change worked, in that, after a few chances on their end they gave up some of their possession, which gave us even more chances on their end.

“We looked very dangerous on their end.”

Whidbey’s best chance at a game-busting score came on a “great through pass” from Hailey Erbe to Lydia Peplinski, who had the Bellevue goalie out of position.

The ball seemed destined for the back of the net, but a Lake Hills defender got her toe on the ball at the last chance, narrowly deflecting it away.

While neither squad could break through, Perry’s work in net was exemplary, earning Player of the Match honors. The shutout was her second straight.

“Her vocal leadership, shot and cross stopping today was key to earning the draw,” LeVine said.

The Islanders close out their regular season with a game in Redmond Saturday, Mar. 28, then kick off the six-week State Cup tournament at home the next day.

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