Solomon Rudat battles for a ball in an earlier game. (Julie Wheat photos)
Never count them out.
Rallying twice from a deficit Friday night, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad forced extra time, then toppled visiting Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood in a penalty kicks shootout to nab a big win on its home turf.
With the 3-2 victory, the Wolves get to 1-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-5 overall.
The conference clash, played out under the lights at Mickey Clark Field, came on a night when CHS also held its annual cancer awareness event.
The Wolves, battling questionable reffing, fell behind 1-0 at the half, before Edmund Wilson notched the tying goal after halftime.
CPC regained the advantage, but Wilson, following in the proud goal-scoring tradition of older brothers Aidan and Cael, buried another shot into the back of the net for his team-leading third score of the season.
After a tense, and scoreless overtime, the game was decided on penalty kicks, with several Wolves stepping up big in the spotlight.
Sage Arends and Brian Thompson converted successfully on their shots, while Coupeville goaltender Sam Richards blocked a pair of CPC attempts, setting up Wolf gunner Mal Chapa for the winner.
CHS coach Jim Kunz praised his players for overcoming some “very one-sided” calls, while noting the work of his man in the net.
“Sam made so many saves to solidify the win. Absolutely the MVP for the game. He was amazing.”
The Wolves hope to carry the momentum from the win into a road game next Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Mount Vernon Christian, before returning home for contests against Grace Academy (Oct. 17) and Friday Harbor (Oct. 22).
Josh Richards and the Wolves are flying into the thick of league play.
Coupeville Sports 