Wolf pitch coaches celebrate an epic win on a stormy night. (Photos courtesy Kimberly Kisch)
Storm? What storm?
Sure, sheets of rain slashed down on the prairie Friday night, while wind hit like Indiana Jones cracking his bullwhip.
But a little pre-winter weather never bothered the Coupeville High School co-ed soccer team.
Enduring the elements in all their ferocious glory while the media was quite happy to nibble on candy up in the warm, dry press box, the Wolves pulled off the biggest win of the season.
Rallying to knock off ultra-dangerous Mount Vernon Christian 3-2 (courtesy a victory in a shootout after two scoreless overtime periods), CHS moves into sole possession of second place in the nine-team Northwest 2B/1B League boys’ soccer standings.
The Wolves head into the weekend at 3-0 in conference action, 5-4-1 overall, and sit a half-game back of state powerhouse Orcas Island (4-0) in the standings.
Next up is a trip to Friday Harbor Tuesday, Oct. 22, before the Wolves close the regular season with three of four at home.
When they return to Mickey Clark Field, hopefully the weather will be nicer than it was Friday.
Though maybe the Wolves won’t want it to be, as they excelled while being buffeted from all angles by liquid sunshine and howling wind.
Coupeville goalkeeper Hurlee Bronec got things going with a nifty opening save on a ball which came in on a severe curve thanks to the gusts.
The MVC netminder wasn’t as lucky, failing to stop a laser off the bionic toe of Cael Wilson less than five minutes into the game.
Launching a shot from the far corner, the Wolf senior let the ball ride a wave of rapidly moving air, and the orb twisted and turned, then splashed home into the back of the net, just out of range of any pesky Hurricane defenders.
It was Wilson’s team-leading sixth goal of the season, and the twelfth of his five-year run as a Wolf.
That breaks a tie with Zane Bundy for #8 on the boys’ career scoring chart and moves Cael one goal away from tying older brother Aidan, who netted 13 during his stellar career.
They survived and thrived.
While the visitors soon knotted things up at 1-1, Bronec fought off numerous incoming balls and held fast as time ticked away in the first half.
That gave Preston Epp time to work some magic while operating in the middle of a soggy field, and the CHS senior bashed home his ninth career goal to push his squad ahead 2-1 heading into halftime.
The second half featured a bevy of Hurricanes, including their goalie at times, mounting a fierce attempt to even things up.
Hair plastered, shoulders slumped, a mix of pain and frustration on their faces, the MVC booters finally found that elusive score, with less than three minutes to spare.
Giving everyone stuck in the middle of a monsoon/typhoon/twister event exactly what they craved most — the chance to stay out on the field for another 20 minutes…
Bronec was a wonder in the two five-minute overtimes, punching balls away with both of his fists of fury, while his MVC counterpart snared a header which could have won the game for Coupeville.
Enter the most loved/most hated way to end a game in any sport — the shoot-out.
When two goalies stare down five shooters and try to guess which way the ball is going, and luck often overrules talent.
The first two shooters hit paydirt, with a ‘Cane popping the ball into the right corner followed by Wilson tickling the bottom left corner with his shot.
Then, two misses, with Wolf freshman Lillian Ketterling cracking a beauty which finished just a little too high thanks to the rampaging wind.
A second MVC miss hurt the visitors badly, especially when Epp and 8th grade ace Brian Thompson both came up big on their attempts.
Holding a 3-2 lead with one shooter left for each team, Bronec stared down the last MVC player to come his way, then celebrated as the shot clanked off the bar with a thunk loud enough to be heard through even a prairie storm.
That set off a celebration among the Wolves and the fans brave enough to watch the game from the rain-splattered stands.
It also left CHS coaches Robert Wood and Kimberly Kisch wearing epic smiles.
“It’s always a tough game with these guys, and a big win for us,” Wood said. “They played their hearts out.”
“They all played with so much passion the entire time,” Kisch added. “Really, really exciting for us!”
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