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Posts Tagged ‘Kenzie Perry’

A tie that felt like a win!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , on March 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Micky LeVine set up her team's goal Saturday. (John Fisken photo)

Micky LeVine set up her team’s goal Saturday. (John Fisken photo)

Sometimes you can win without winning.

The scoreboard at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Stadium Saturday said the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad tied 1-1 with visiting Seattle United Black.

Toss the score out, however, and the Islanders dominated the day.

“Great game today, we finished with 10 shots on goal, including three one-on-ones, to their five shots on goal,” said Whidbey coach Sean LeVine. “I’m happy with our performance, despite the tie.”

The Islanders controlled the flow of the game in the first half, only to have Seattle United make a bit of a comeback after the break.

Whidbey opened the scoring, when Micky LeVine slipped between a pair of Seattle defenders and sent a textbook pass to Lydia Peplinski in front of the goal.

The goalie made an initial save, but Peplinski nabbed the loose ball and sent the rebound into the back of the net.

Seattle United got the tying goal early in the second half, when it managed to slip a shot just outside of the grasp of Whidbey goaltender Kenzie Perry.

“Other than that moment, our defense had a very good day!,” Sean LeVine said.

He tabbed Kendra Warwick as the Player of the Game for her rampaging performance.

“She just turned it up a notch in the second half, dominating the middle of the field, and having a few shots on goal.”

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Stylish, even in a loss!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , on February 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Kendra Warwick

Kendra Warwick scored a beauty of a goal Saturday.

They won the style battle. Just not the game.

Despite scoring much more impressive goals, the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad couldn’t quite tally enough of them Saturday, eventually falling 3-2 to the visiting Bellevue Ravens.

When they did beat the Bellevue goaltender, the Islanders did it with panache.

On their first score, Micky LeVine, under a great deal of pressure, fed the ball flawlessly to Kendra Warwick, who was lurking in the middle of the field.

Blasting the ball like a laser, Warwick buried it into the side netting before the Raven goalie had a chance to blink.

Trailing 3-1, the Islanders pulled closer with another beautiful goal.

This time Lydia Peplinksi, pushing up the field from her right defender position, found a streaking Kenzie Perry, who flicked the ball out of the air and past a scrambling net-minder.

“They had one nice goal, but if we got style points for our goals, then we would have won for sure,” said Islander coach Sean LeVine.

While they played from behind most of the day, the Islanders were competitive and had moments of brilliance.

“This was a hard fought game and we almost pulled off the comeback,” LeVine said. “While this wasn’t our best game, our team played hard for a full 90 and I was convinced we were the better team.

“But, we made a few too many errors on both sides of the ball and they were able to capitalize on our defensive errors and we did not capitalize on theirs enough.”

When Whidbey returns to action in two weeks (it has a home game at Ft. Nugent Park on Sunday, Feb. 22), it will finally have a deeper roster.

After playing much of the early season with only 11 girls (sometimes less), the Islanders will welcome back two of their best players, Jacalyn Hefflefinger and Paige Waterman.

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Stout defense sparks Islanders!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , on July 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Islanders rest between games Saturday. (Kerry Rosenkranz photo)

The Islanders rest between games Saturday. (Kerry Rosenkranz photo)

The further they go in the tournament, the better they’re playing.

Capping Saturday afternoon off with its third game in two days, the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad put together its best game so far in the 2014 Crossfire Select Cup.

Facing tourney host Crossfire, which is in first place, the Islanders fought to a 0-0 tie, a result that left Whidbey coach Sean LeVine in a much-improved mood.

“The afternoon was much better. We possessed much better and had several chances on their goal,” he said. “They were a well organized team and had chances on our end as well, but it looked like either of us could take it.

“I was pleased with the improvement.”

The Islanders opened the three-day tournament with another 0-0 tie Friday, this one against Franklin Pierce FC Fury, then fell 1-0 to the Whatcom Rangers Saturday morning.

Whidbey, which is playing without leading goal scorer Jacalyn Hefflefinger this weekend, has yet to score, but its defense has been stout.

The only score given up by the goal-tending duo of Kenzie Perry and Ayla Muller came on a bit of a fluke play.

“The goal came after a botched drop to our own goal keeper,” LeVine said. “Kenzie was still able to partially deal with it, but it fell favorably to a Ranger player who skied it.

“Kenzie couldn’t deal with it and it just glanced off the post as she was trying to catch it and fell in,” he added.

Now 0-1-2 in the tourney, the Islanders will play Bainbridge Island FC at 8 AM Sunday. Win that one and they return to play a fifth and final game at noon.

“We can compete with the best if we want it bad enough,” LeVine said. “We play tomorrow like we did this afternoon, we will win.”

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Kenzie Perry is a beast!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU18 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , on June 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

and

The Islanders get a pre-game talk under dramatic skies. (Kali Barrio photo)

Kenzie Perry

Kenzie Perry

No goals for you.

Assisted by a stellar defensive line, GU18 Whidbey Islanders net-minder Kenzie Perry was in lock-down mode this weekend, pulling off three consecutive shutouts at a prestigious tourney in Tukwila.

And while the Islanders couldn’t get one into the back of the net themselves, the resulting scoreless ties against the Rainier Valley Slammers, Kent United and Tacoma FC left Whidbey coach Sean LeVine sporting a huge smile.

“We had a great weekend! That’s three shutouts against some tough teams in a tough tourney!,” LeVine said. “This is the best our Islanders have ever done in this tourney.”

Making their third appearance in the tournament, which is held at the Starfire Complex, home of the Seattle Sounders, the Islanders fell just a goal short of playing in the championship.

And they did it at less than full-strength.

Whidbey had defender Paige Waterman playing on a sprained ankle, was missing several key players and had one star — Oak Harbor’s Becca Pabona — playing through jet lag after returning from a European trip Friday night.

“Our defense proved, once again, that they can take any team anytime,” LeVine said. “Kenzie was lights out in the goal, making at least one amazing diving save in each game.”

Her teammates flew around the field all weekend, chipping in with solid effort and inspired play.

Kendra Warwick and Erin Rosenkranz “solidified the center of the field and made it extremely difficult for the other team to play through the middle.”

Gillian Crossley, seeing her first action as a new member of the Islanders, “was a pleasant surprise at the striker position.”

“Her speed and strong beast-like presence up top opened up several opportunities to score and we expect her to do very well,” LeVine said.

“Our scoring machine, Jacalyn Hefflefinger, didn’t convert one this weekend, but she played out of position one day,” he added. “When she went to her bread and butter striker spot she was inches away from converting twice on crosses from Micky LeVine and Kendra.”

The Islanders will take a couple of days off to rest and then will begin preparing for their next tournament. That one is a huge one — the NCSAA College Showcase Tournament in Puyallup July 18-20.

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Islanders impress college soccer coaches!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU18 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , on January 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Bundled up against the cold, the GU18 Whidbey Islanders prepare for some butt-kickin'. (Kali Barrio photo)

Bundled up against the cold, the GU18 Whidbey Islanders prepare for action. (Kali Barrio photo)

Everyone knows their names now.

After shining at the PSPL Winter College Showcase Tournament Sunday, the young women on the GU18 Whidbey Islanders select soccer team are now on the radar of college coaches.

Playing less than 24 hours after waging a tough battle in a State Cup semifinal, where they fell 2-1 to the Vancouver Timbers, the Islanders bounced right back.

Facing off with elite squads, they earned a draw and a close loss, while having a chance to dazzle recruiters with their individual skills.

With more than 30 colleges represented in the stands, the stakes were high for any booters who are interested in continuing to play after their high school days are done.

With that in mind, the Islanders went toe-to-toe with the Pierce County Fire College Prep Team, and refused to yield, notching a 0-0 draw in an intense affair.

“Our girls performed outstanding,” said Islander coach Sean LeVine. “The other team was bigger, faster, and stronger than most of our team, but we rose to the challenge and frustrated them.

“This was our best game of the season!”

A lights-out defense sparked by Alyssa Cross, who fought through a toe injury suffered the day before, was the key. Cross, ignoring the pain, completely locked-down the left side of play almost by herself.

Whidbey’s second game was a narrow 2-0 loss to an “elite” PSPL Academy team that was formed specifically for college showcase tournament play.

The Islanders came with another strong defensive effort, but two small mistakes hurt them.

Vivien Valles broke free and had a chance to notch a goal for Whidbey, but the Academy goalie got her fingertips on the ball and re-directed it at the last second.

“We finished that tough match with some players playing in atypical positions and we still did well,” LeVine said. “I am very happy with how they played against these “elite” teams.

“Kenzie Perry, Becca Pabona, Jacki Ginnings, Paige Waterman, Alyssa Cross, Kendra Warwick and Selena Medina deserve to be mentioned for their stellar play this weekend,” he added. “But all our players stepped up and had great games!”

Saturday the Islanders went into their semifinal match against the Timbers needing a win or draw to advance to the championship game. It wasn’t to be, however.

Pabona nailed “a rocket from 30 yards out” for her team’s goal, while Erin Rosenkranz, Hailey Erbe, Micky LeVine, Medina and Morgan Zylstra pushed hard in the second half for a tying score that never came.

Perry shut down the Timbers for huge chunks of the game, collecting 15 saves.

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