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“All in all, it was a great weekend!!”

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , on July 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Jacki Ginnings shared Player of the Tournament honors with Kendra Warwick. (John Fisken photo)

Jacki Ginnings

Kendra Warwick

Kendra Warwick

Sometimes you have to get beat to get better.

That’s the hope for the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad, which fell 5-1 to Chinook United of Calgary Sunday.

The loss capped a three-day run for the Islanders at the high-stakes NCSAA College Showcase Tournament in Puyallup, and, at 0-2-1, the results weren’t quite as awe-inspiring as hoped.

On the other hand, Whidbey coach Sean LeVine knew going in his team would be facing a caliber of opponents they rarely, if ever, see.

The Islanders opened play Friday against the #9 team in the entire nation.

With NCAA coaches everywhere in the stands, the tourney drew top-level teams with rosters jam-packed with possible Division 1 recruits.

“All in all, it was a great weekend,” LeVine said. “We knew we would play the toughest teams we’d ever faced. In this sport, that is how you get better.”

Whidbey played Chinook fairly even for a half Sunday, then “the wheels fell off a little” after halftime.

Trailing just 2-1 at the break (“other than two gifts we gave them, we looked like the better team”) the Islanders were victimized by a couple of quirky plays.

A slow-rolling ball took an odd last-second bounce and skidded right across the fingertips of Whidbey goalie Kenzie Perry for one score, and an “imaginary foul” set up Chinook with a gift-wrapped penalty kick for another.

Whidbey netted its lone goal midway through the first half.

Jenn Spark popped a beautiful set-up to Lydia Peplinski, who twirled, froze the goaltender, who was out in front of her net, and calmly knocked the ball past her for her first score as an Islander.

After it was all over, LeVine tabbed Kendra Warwick and Jacki Ginnings as his Players of the Tournament.

“We are very lucky to have these two players!,” he said. “They battled hard this weekend, had limited mistakes, and they make our team better.”

The Islanders close out their summer season with an appearance at the 7th annual Crossfire Select Cup Tournament in Redmond July 25-27.

After that, their players will head off to their respective schools for the high school season, before reuniting in November for another college showcase.

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“Best game for this team so far!!”

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , , on July 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Gillian Crossley

Gillian Crossley netted her first goal as an Islander Saturday.

Bounce back, big time.

A day after being drilled by the #9 team in the nation, the GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad roared back Saturday to play their “best game for this team so far!”

While the Islanders ended up with a 2-2 draw against Tacoma FC at the NCSAA College Showcase Tournament in Puyallup, Whidbey coach Sean LeVine came away pleased with 99.2% of what he saw go down.

“What a great game, and we really deserved the win,” LeVine said. “Tacoma FC was a good team, and I warned the team that if we let up at all they could easily get back into the game, and that’s what happened, but we looked like the better team for most of the game.”

The two teams had fought to a draw three weeks ago, but in that game LeVine felt Tacoma was the better squad. Not so Saturday.

“Our possession, speed, and hustle looked the best it’s ever been today and we really looked like the better team for 70 minutes of that game,” LeVine said.

Newcomer Lydia Peplinski “was a difference maker today, battling hard for the ball as our center mid.”

Her defining play came when she set up fellow first-year Islander Gillian Crossley on a perfectly-placed header.

That allowed Crossley to go one-on-one with the Tacoma goalie, beating her on a ball neatly plopped into the side netting.

Leading 1-0 coming out of halftime, Whidbey “let up a little for 10 minutes”, allowing Tacoma to rattle off back-to-back goals.

The Islanders refused to buckle, however, as the veterans stepped up and took control.

Becca Pabona knocked “a beautiful cross into the box” that goal-scoring machine Jacalyn Hefflefinger nimbly redirected with her head into the back of the net, leaving Tacoma’s goalie looking foolish as she grasped at empty air.

Neither squad could get a tie-breaker after that, but the Islanders used their entire roster, giving every girl substantial playing time.

The three-day tourney is a showcase event for college coaches looking for possible recruits for their programs.

Whidbey will wrap play Sunday when it faces Chinook United from Calgary. On the menu, according to assistant coach Scott Rosenkranz, is “Canadian bacon for lunch tomorrow!”

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Duo dazzle at Crossfire Cup!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on July 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Zane Bundy flies high. (John Fisken photos)

Zane Bundy (7) flies high in a CHS game. (John Fisken photos)

Abraham Leyva prepares to unleash Hell on an unsuspecting goalie.

Abraham Leyva prepares to unleash Hell on an unsuspecting goalie.

The high school season is over, but the pitch warriors play on.

Zane Bundy and Abraham Leyva, who will be juniors at Coupeville High School in the fall, are playing select soccer with the Washington Rush premier squad this summer.

After winning a recent tournament, the Rush and its Wolf sharpshooters made a long run at the Nike Crossfire Challenge Cup last weekend.

The Rush upended the Kitsap Puma 2-0, RSA Elite 2-0 and Crossfire Oregon Black East 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals, before falling 4-0 to the Washington Timbers.

The squad played that last game without their regular coach, who was suddenly called out of town.

Even though they didn’t get a title, playing at the Crossfire Cup gave Bundy and Leyva a chance to show their skills off in front of people they may hear from in the future, as the tourney draws a large contingent of college coaches who come to appraise talent.

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Tomorrow’s another day!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU19 Whidbey Islanders, tagged , , , on July 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

spark

  Islanders (left to right) Jenn Spark, Kendra Warwick and Anni Field, during an earlier 3 on 3 tournament. (Kali Barrio photo)

Ayla Muller

Ayla Muller

“We had the toughest match-up we’ve ever faced today.”

That was about all GU19 Whidbey Islanders select soccer coach Sean LeVine could say, after watching his squad be dismantled by one of the best teams in the country.

Playing on day one of the prestigious NCSAA College Showcase Tournament in Puyallup, the Islanders drew the Washington Premier FC ECNL, a team that competes nationally at the highest level possible in US youth soccer.

Not surprisingly, the Islanders fell, hard, to the #9 team in the entire nation, losing 6-0.

But even in the team’s worst loss in three years, there were positives.

A strong second half, when the Islanders gave up just one goal, and the return of goalie Ayla Muller, who played for the first time in a year after recovering from a torn ACL, were highlights.

“It was tough,” LeVine said. “We held them solidly for a good 15 minutes, but once the first goal went in we became a little hesitant and let too many unchallenged crosses into our box.

“(Starting goaltender) Kenzie (Perry) did what she could, but all goals were scored from point blank range,” he added. “Second half was much better, as I abandoned a new formation our team had never played before and our players relaxed a bit.”

While it was a tough loss to absorb, it will make the Islanders a better team.

“It was a great lesson for our players,” LeVine said. “Our defense is not used to going up against players with dribbling skill, speed, and perfectly timed runs. This game highlighted our weaknesses and will make us better.

“In the mean time we are licking our wounds in the hotel room, but everyone seems to be in good spirits.”

The Islanders return to action Saturday when they face Tacoma FC, a team they tied earlier this season. They wrap up the three-day tourney Sunday against Chinook FC from Canada.

The tournament is played in front of a large group of college coaches and offers players a chance to get on the recruiting radar of college programs.

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Well done, Mr. Arnold! Well done!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, Football, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on July 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Brett Arnold and a member of his fan club.

Brett Arnold and his lil’ niece hang out.

Brett Arnold is the guy who held it all together.

When Jake Tumblin ran wild on the football field as a senior for CHS, it was Arnold, his fullback, who led the way, hitting every block and helping open holes.

Ball in his hand, Arnold was a put-your-chin-down-and-blast-the-guy-in-front-of-you runner.

He gave Tumblin and Josh Bayne chance to catch their breath, while putting the defense on its heels.

As a soccer player, he was the last line of defense, the anchor to a bend-but-never-break back wall that made goalie Joel Walstad’s job easier.

Off the field, Brett overcame great personal upheaval in his family’s life and remained a leader, both at school, where he was on the executive board, and in his church, where he devoted much of his spare time.

Through it all, through good times and some extremely harrowing times, he has kept the welcoming smile on his face.

He is an ambassador for his town, his school, his church. And, never once has it seemed like he wasn’t being genuine.

What I have seen over the last several years is a young man, sometimes quiet, sometimes ebullient. A possessor of intelligence, commitment and principles, a  guy who treats others around him with compassion and friendliness.

Brett has been a warrior on and off the field, and, as he celebrates his 19th birthday today, I wish him the best.

I would say this to him — know that, in your darkest moments, you have a town behind you, there to lift you up. And that, in your moments of triumph, we all share a sliver of your joy.

You have made Coupeville better for your presence, Brett. As you go forward, you may depart this physical place, but it will always be with you.

We are you. You are we. And we are very proud of what you have been and what you will become.

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