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Posts Tagged ‘Micky LeVine’

Cake day for terrific trio!!

Posted in Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , , on March 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Birthday trio (clockwise from top) Micky LeVine, Mitchell Losey and Ben Olson. (John Fisken photos)

   Birthday trio (clockwise from top) Micky LeVine, Mitchell Losey and Ben Olson. (John Fisken photos)

Some days just have more magic about them than others.

March 28 is one of those days, if you’re a CHS Wolf fan, with at least three current athletic stars having been born on this day.

Freshman Ben Olson, junior Mitchell Losey and senior Micky “Two Fists” LeVine all claim today as the day they shot into the world, one eye already set on claiming a spot among the elite.

Olson, a rampaging beast on the basketball court and baseball diamond, is one of those kids who grew up in the video stores I once worked at — Videoville and David’s DVD Den — and it’s still a bit odd to see him now being old enough to play high school sports.

But he’s a good guy, a solid older brother to my former video store “assistant manager,” the irrepressible Daniel Olson — now a 6th grade hoops whiz himself — and a talented athlete.

Losey is a vital link in a family that boasts a rich Wolf heritage that includes numerous former and future CHS athletes such as dad Scott and younger brother Shane.

Whether crackin’ helmets on the football field or flying around the track oval, Mitchell is a gutsy, hard-working dude who also, unlike a lot of male high school athletes, is willing to vamp a bit for the camera from time to time.

And then we have the real MVP, the two-fisted terror of the soccer pitch, Miss LeVine.

In reality, she is among the sweetest, most laid-back young women you will meet, a devoted big sis to Jae and Izzy and a Twitter prankster of the finest quality.

On the playing field, she is nimble, she is quick, she can be a deadly scorer, and, here is where the nickname comes in, deeply committed to protecting her teammates.

While playing select ball, a rival team tried to rough up a couple of her soccer sisters.

At which point the serene LeVine popped her knuckles and offered to drop kick all their rears, two at a time, and then take out the ref for aiding and abetting the harassment.

Do not mess with the petite one, for her heart is bigger than your whole body.

United by a birthday and their athletic contributions to their school, the trio are among the best and brightest Cow Town has to offer.

To all three of you, happy birthday.

And, if anyone is thinking about messing with your birthday cake, let ’em know, “Two Fists” don’t play that game.

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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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“Our best game of the season!!”

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , on January 31, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Erin Rosenkranz (John Fisken photo)

Erin Rosenkranz (John Fisken photo)

Not every team needs subs.

As his squad progresses further into the season and continues to play nearly all of its games with a minimum 11 players (or less), GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer coach Sean LeVine has learned to go with the flow.

“Missing key players is our new norm and we’ve finally started playing like it,” he said. “As far as experience goes, this season is giving us that.

“Unfortunately it is a steep learning curve and our improvement has come at the expense of our season’s record,” LeVine added. “However, I expect things will get much better!”

His positive outlook remained in place even after the Islanders lost a 1-0 nail-biter on the road Saturday to Kent United.

“This was our best game of the season and I am very proud of our play,” LeVine said. “With a full squad we’d have taken it, I think.”

Whidbey lost goal-scoring threat Lydia Peplinski at the last second due to an ankle injury suffered in basketball, and that left the Islanders with an empty bench.

11 players were on hand and 11 players took the field and never came off.

And, other than a late goal on a bit of a fluke play where Kent poached a throw-in, the Islanders played their much deeper rivals (five bodies on the bench) straight up.

“This was definitely the best team we’ve faced this season,” LeVine said. “They looked like the better team for most of the first half, but we improved as the game went on.”

He praised the play of Erin Rosenkranz and Bailee Olson, who both lined up at positions other than the ones they normally call home.

“I made a tactical change and put Erin at right back and moved Bailee to center mid and it really paid off!,” LeVine said. “Erin was an excellent defender today. Her patience and tackling ability really shined!

“Bailee’s speed and aggression really upped our tempo and put pressure on them.”

Whidbey had two superb chances at breaking into the scoring column, but narrowly missed on both.

On the first one Gillian Crossley went just wide of the net while being laid out “linebacker style” by Kent’s six-foot-two goaltender.

Later Kendra Warwick and Micky LeVine put together a give-and-go down the sideline, with LeVine setting up Hailey Erbe for the shot on goal.

Once again, however, it slid just wide of the target.

Still, Sean LeVine was happy with the way his squad refused to go down easily.

“We looked like the better team second half, and despite having no subs and them having five subs, I think it was, in large part, due to our superior conditioning and experience playing in these situations.”

The Islanders return to Whidbey for their next match, hosting a Crossfire team Saturday, Feb. 7. Kickoff is 3 PM at Ft. Nugent.

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No rest! Ever!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , , on January 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Micky LeVine scored one of Whidbey's two goals Saturday. (John Fisken photo)

Micky LeVine scored one of Whidbey’s two goals Saturday. (John Fisken photo)

Racked by injuries and game-day absences, the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad is getting used to playing games with no subs this season.

Field enough players to go (or sometimes, play a man or two down) and they’ll go the full 90 minutes and push you hard. But, it wouldn’t hurt to have a full roster.

“This season has been really tough so far,” said Islanders coach Sean LeVine. “But I believe we have the talent to succeed despite that and we have been in every game.”

Saturday was a case in point, as Whidbey played host Newport FC almost evenly before fatigue and a few bad breaks sent it to a tough 4-2 loss.

Even in defeat, the Islanders had moments of brilliance, with both of their goals being highlight-reel material.

The first one came off the toe of Hailey Erbe, who took a beautifully-slotted through pass from teammate Gillian Crossley and beat the Newport goaltender.

“Their defense incorrectly tried an offsides trap leaving her one-on-one with their keeper,” LeVine said. “Hailey expertly shot the ball into the side netting, freezing their keeper.”

The Islanders struck again when they pulled out their secret weapon — the cannon-like arm of Alyssa Cross.

Airmailing a throw-in, Cross dropped it right in front of the goal, allowing the ever-sneaky Micky LeVine to slide in and punch the ball into the back of the net mere seconds before being bowled over by an uppity Newport defender.

“Alyssa can really throw a ball and it always takes the other team by surprise,” Sean LeVine said with a touch of pride in his voice.

Newport broke the game open with a couple of goals off of plays where the Islanders had no chance to get to the ball, but overall the Islanders stood up well against a constant onslaught.

Whidbey goalie Kenzie Perry recorded an eye-popping 14 saves, while LeVine gave big props to Cross, Lydia Peplinski and Vivien Valles for their hustle and willingness to fight through their fatigue.

The Islanders return to action next Saturday, Jan. 31, when they travel to Renton to play Kent United. Hopefully with a full roster.

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