Micky “Two Fists” LeVine, the goal-scorin’, ice-cream eatin’, big-smilin’ terror of the soccer pitch. (Kerry Rosenkranz photo)
Player of the game Kendra Warwick (center) during an earlier tournament. (Kali Barrio photo)
Having 11 players is overrated.
Low on players once again due to a rash of injuries, illness and vacations (they started the game a man down), the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad brushed it off and decimated visiting Seattle United Shoreline 4-2 Sunday.
While a lack of depth (and absolutely no bench) might have been a problem — the Islanders borrowed a guest player from a U16 team and the 11th player showed up several minutes into the contest — the players on the field were primed.
CHS senior Micky LeVine sparked the attack, as the mighty mite known as “Two Fists” popped in a pair of goals — one for each teammate-protecting hand.
Gillian Crossley was actually the first Islander to find pay-dirt, as she messed with the Seattle goalie by drilling the ball off of her, then snatching the rebound on her left foot and sliding it into a now-empty net.
Seattle momentarily knotted the score at 1-1 on a play that even the visiting coach agreed was flat out wrong. Not that he gave the goal back.
“It was a very, very bad out-of-bounds call that should have been ours and when my defense pushed forward to take our throw they called it the other way and they took a quick throw catching us out of position and scored on a one-on-one with our keeper,” said Islander coach Sean LeVine. “The call was so bad that the other team’s coaches agreed that that should have been our ball.”
After a scrum in front of the net resulted in a second quirky goal for Seattle, Whidbey’s offense took over the game and gave Islander goalie Kenzie Perry some breathing room.
Jenna Cooley, a GU16 player making her debut with the Islanders, knocked a superb cross to Micky LeVine, who dazzled a defender and shot past her, sending a gorgeous curling shot that found the near post for “the goal of the game.”
Revived and on the attack, the Islanders poured it on, with Crossley setting up Lydia Peplinski for the game-buster before “Two Fists” hammered home her second score of the afternoon to cap things.
After the fluky goals, Perry was rock-solid, snatching 12 saves to thwart any hopes Seattle might have had of staging a comeback.
With no subs, which meant every Islander played the full 90 minutes, the difference was the conditioning work put in by Whidbey.
“We were the much better team, and despite the result I feel like we did not play to our full potential today,” Sean LeVine said. “It could have easily been 5-0, but again we had no subs, and our players got a full 90 in which makes us better.
“We also got away with no injuries. I’m proud of our conditioning so far this season.”
South Whidbey supernova Kendra Warwick, back in the lineup after missing the previous contest, claimed Player of the Game.
“We really missed her last week,” LeVine said. “Her defensive presence, possession, and leadership proved invaluable today.
“She has the ability to rally the troops and direct traffic, making everyone around her better,” he added. “She is a really special player.”
The Islanders will have several weeks with no games due to the holidays. They return to the pitch with a game Jan. 10 in Redmond against a Crossfire Select team.
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