Freshman Mia Littlejohn scored twice in her high school debut. (John Fisken photos)
Makana Stone celebrates her former teammate, Jenn Spark, who had a stellar defensive game.
Jenn Spark may be blushing.
Wins over South Whidbey are like potato chips — you can’t have just one.
Following in the footsteps of their football counterparts, many of whom were in the stands rooting them on, the Coupeville High School girls’ soccer players opened a new season with a resounding 2-1 win Tuesday over their Island rivals.
Sparked by two goals from freshman Mia Littlejohn, in her high school debut, the Wolves controlled the game from start to finish.
They struck first, they struck last and they clamped down when the game was on the line.
With South Whidbey racing the clock in the waning moments, trying to find a goal to tie, Coupeville’s defense, anchored by Jenn Spark and Christine Fields, stepped up big time.
Spark, a feisty junior who clears the ball with booming kicks that threaten to break the sound barrier, came up with the biggest defensive play, using her body to deny a Falcon shot at point-blank range with less than three minutes on the scoreboard.
With her defensive line refusing to break, Wolf goalie Julia Myers had time to set herself and was fairly flawless in net.
The silky smooth senior nimbly picked off several South Whidbey shots, then stared down the would-be shooters, breaking them mentally as well as physically.
The game opened under sunny skies, and, while the scoreboard refused to cooperate for the first few minutes, the action on the field got off to a crisp start.
Littlejohn, one of two freshmen to start for the Wolves (along with Sage Renninger), put Coupeville in front early, picking up a loose ball and blasting it home from the right side.
South Whidbey answered late in the first half, when freshman Celeste Hernandez slipped a ball past a wall of players in front of the net.
After that one miscue, Myers and her defenders were lights out the rest of the way.
With the CHS student section picking up the noise considerably, it was Mia time, part two.
Shooting from the left side this time, she zipped what would be the game-winner into the back of the net less than three minutes into the second half.
The two squads came after each other hard the rest of the way, with chippy play intensifying at times. But, amid the rough-and-tumble, there was one genuinely sweet moment.
Littlejohn, making a run at the net, inadvertently blew up Falcon goalie Cassie Neil, colliding with her rival and sending her crashing hard to the turf.
Neil, after a moment or two prone on the ground, bounced back up and went over and hugged Littlejohn.
Having played select soccer with many of the CHS girls, and being one of the peppiest people in the known world, it was a classy move by Neil, a player equally at home in both towns.
Coupeville Sports 