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Posts Tagged ‘Soccer’

Leyva claims CHS pitch as his own!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged Abraham Leyva, CHS Wolves, shake and bake, Soccer, Zane Bundy on March 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Abraham Leyva (21), seen here in Saturday’s jamboree, scored twice in Coupeville’s season-opening win Tuesday. (John Fisken photo)

One game and the joint already belongs to him.

Making his regular season debut, Coupeville High School sophomore Abraham Leyva punched in a pair of goals Tuesday, sparking the Wolf boys’ soccer squad to a 3-0 non-conference victory over visiting Friday Harbor.

In a game in which Coupeville dominated both halves of the field from start to finish — leaving Wolf goalie Joel Walstad just a handful of save opportunities — it was the sophomores who made the difference.

Leyva officially opened the season’s scoring when he redirected a blocked shot on goal over the Friday Harbor netminder’s arm in the game’s 22nd minute.

Coming down the right side with a full head of steam, Wolf senior Sean Donley blasted a shot that hit the goalie’s hands hard enough that the ball ricocheted away. One bounce and the ball was on Leyva’s foot, then it was gone, arcing off of his toe and dropping neatly into the back of the net.

Despite having many more shots on goals, Coupeville went scoreless for the next 48 minutes, before finally putting the game on ice with two scores in the final ten minutes.

Sophomore Zane Bundy took off on a daring one-on-one run, pulled off a shake-and-bake move that left the Friday Harbor goalie on the ground, waving his arms above his head in frustration, then slapped the ball in for a score.

As the wind-chilled CHS fans rocked the bleachers — none louder than proud mom Janine Bundy — he did a little shimmy, before being mobbed by his teammates.

Leyva capped the scoring with a booming rocket from almost midfield during stoppage time.

Friday Harbor was unable to mount much of a charge offensively, with their coach loudly half-pleading at one moment, “We HAVE to get the ball off of our side of the field.”

A strong defense anchored by seniors Brett Arnold and Jared Dickson and junior Oscar Liquidano blunted virtually every chance the Wolverines put together.

Playing behind his solid line, Walstad had a handful of easy saves and one nice one where the basketball star went airborne and snagged the ball at the peak of his jump.

The victory came in new coach Kyle Nelson’s first official game. Coupeville played in a jamboree Saturday.

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Seven straight!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU18 Whidbey Islanders, tagged GU18 Whidbey Islanders, Jacalyn Hefflefinger is en fuego, Sean LeVine, Soccer, win streak on March 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Erin Rosenkranz heads up field in pursuit of the ball. (John Fisken photos)

The Islanders bring together players from North, South and Central Whidbey. Coupeville’s own Fab Five — (l to r) Jacki Ginnings, Tori Wellman, Rosenkranz, Jenn Spark, Micky LeVine.

LeVine battles for the ball under pressure.

Hefflefinger scores, Islanders win.

The song is stuck on repeat, but no one seems to be complaining, as it’s catchy, has a good beat and is being played by a team that has swept into sole possession of first place.

The latest victim of the supremely hot Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad was the Northshore Evolution, who fell 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Ft. Nugent.

It was the seventh straight win for an Islander team that now finds itself sitting at 8-2, alone in first place with two games left to play in the season.

And the win played out in familiar fashion, as Jacalyn Hefflefinger and Jenn Spark set the table, while Kenzie Perry slammed the door shut.

Hefflefinger shook things up early, banging home a ball in the fifth minute of the game for her seventh goal in as many games.

She and teammate Bailee Olson were fighting for the ball in the Northshore box, and, with the help of a puddle that stopped the ball and set her up nicely, it was golden leg time once again for the goal-scoring phenom from Oak Harbor.

Keeping the pressure on, Whidbey got a second score ten minutes later.

Spark lofted a patented near-perfect corner kick, laying it right at the feet of Selena Medina, who, without an ounce of mercy in her body, calmly lashed it past a helpless Evolution goalie.

After that, it was all about defense, and the Islanders were near-stifling. With Perry in net, and her band of scrappy defenders guarding her turf, Northshore had few opportunities to score.

The Evolution finally did, on a goal that benefited from the refs going blind — twice.

First they awarded Northshore a questionable free kick, then they allowed a goal to stand after an Evolution player kicked the ball free from Perry’s hands — a no-no.

“In my mind, that’s a 2-0 win,” Islander coach Sean LeVine said. “Second half was all us. Our defense was stout and they never got behind us in the entire second half.”

Whidbey kept the pressure on, with multiple players ripping shots on goal. Olson, Micky LeVine, Erin Rosenkranz, Becca Pabona, Kendra Warwick, Hailey Erbe, Morgan Zylstra and Paige Waterman all rattled the Evolution netminder.

LeVine, after some thought, tabbed Warwick as his player of the game.

“Kendra really held down the midfield today, battling much larger opponents and winning, controlling possession, and helped to relieve the defense from having to pressure the ball in the middle,” LeVine said. “Kendra is our own Ozzie Alonso! Great job today!”

The Islanders host their next game, Sunday, Mar. 23 (2 PM) at Ft. Nugent, then hit the road for their season finale.

For more photos, including pics of Islander players who call Oak Harbor and South Whidbey home, head over to:

http://www.shutterfly.com/progal/album.jsp?aid=768a5498cf350b8730ec

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Booters blast off!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged CHS Wolves, John Fisken photos, Soccer on March 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Jared Dickson (right) goes high as he fights for a ball. (John Fisken photos)

Devoted soccer moms Janine Bundy (left) and Cheridan Eck hunker down on a balmy Whidbey afternoon.

Aaron Wright (7) rampages.

The Wolf varsity and new head coach Kyle Nelson (back row, far right).

Loren Nelson directs traffic.

Coupeville’s JV, coached by the dapper Gary Manker.

Wolf goalie Joel Walstad clears the ball.

Spring has sprung.

The third, and final, sports season of the 2013-2014 school year went live Saturday, as the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad kicked off with a home jamboree against South Whidbey and Lake Stevens.

On hand to document the doings was traveling photo man John Fisken.

If you like what you see, follow the link below to see more (and possibly purchase some). A percentage of all sales helps fund college scholarships for CHS student athletes.

And don’t forget — use the coupon code EB57554962 (buy before Mar. 30) and you’ll get 15% off your purchase.

http://www.cascadeathletics.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=5755&league=2&page=1&page_name=photo_store&school=24&sport=0

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Islanders can’t be held down!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, GU18 Whidbey Islanders, tagged GU18 Whidbey Islanders, Jacalyn Hefflefinger is en fuego, Jenn Spark, six straight wins, Soccer on March 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad players (most of them, anyway), winners of six straight. (Kali Barrio photo)

Jacalyn Hefflefinger owns the goal right now.

Scoring her sixth goal of the season Saturday, to go with an awe-inspiring score from teammate Jenn Spark, Hefflefinger sparked the Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad to its sixth straight victory.

The 2-0 home triumph over the Issaquah Arsenal lifts the Islanders to 7-2 on the season, and they get right back at it with a home game at Ft. Nugent (2 PM) Sunday.

Saturday, Whidbey dominated Issaquah from the moment the two teams stepped on the field. The Islanders peppered the Arsenal goalie, claiming a 20-3 shot on goal advantage.

With Morgan Zylstra manning the net for Whidbey, that freed goalie Kenzie Perry (“like a pit bull up front”) to play in the open field, and the fleet-footed one helped kick-start the offense.

Perry moved back into goal in the second half to combine with her teammate on the shutout.

The Islanders broke through when Spark took advantage of a free kick earned by Erin Rosenkranz.

Spark blasted a shot from 20 yards out that neatly curved over the Arsenal wall and plopped right into the corner of the net as the Issaquah goalie could only watch the shot in horror.

Pressing hard in stoppage time, Whidbey sprung Hefflefinger for the game-capping goal.

With mighty mite Micky “Two Fists” LeVine pressuring the defense, Tori Wellman pilfered the ball and slapped a picture-perfect crossing pass to Hefflefinger. Two seconds later, the golden-toed shot-maker had scored again and the celebration was on.

With contributions from every one on the roster, Islander coach Sean LeVine picked Paige Waterman and Becca Pabona as his players of the game.

“Paige matched their big, fast bruiser stride for stride and showed how strong she can be,” LeVine said. “We know Paigey is a great defender, but she battled their toughest player all game and won and took her out of the game!

“Becca played hard from box to box, battling for every 50/50, and really helped to control our possession,” he added. “Great job!”

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“I enjoy the sensation of scoring goals!!”

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged Abraham Leyva, CHS Wolves, Jeremy Copenhaver, Soccer, Washington Rush, Zane Bundy on March 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Abraham Leyva (left) with select soccer teammate Dawson d’Almeida. (Dan d’Almeida photo)

You lose one, you gain one.

When Jeremy Copenhaver was plucked away from the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad by a family move cross-country, it took a goal-scoring threat away from the Wolves.

But, just maybe, sophomore Abraham Leyva will be able to step in and provide that same sort of spark.

The top scorer on his select soccer team, Washington Rush, where he plays along side Wolf teammate Zane Bundy, he netted eight goals in 14 games.

Now he hopes to make an impact on the pitch for CHS this spring.

“My goals are to get as many goals and assists as I can, so I can make first or second team,” Leyva said. “I enjoy the sensation of scoring goals, humiliating players by beating them and getting assists.”

While he has a great deal of confidence in his skill (“The areas I feel comfortable with are my dribbling, my speed, my passing and crossing”), he still works hard at the game.

“I need to work on my shots, finishing and heading,” Leyva said. “I work on that a lot with my dad.”

It was his father who first brought him to the beautiful game, signing him up for a soccer team at age four, when they were living in Mexico. 12 years later, Leyva is still going strong, and can still turn to his dad for advice and help.

“My dad has the biggest impact on me,” Leyva said. “He helps me improve so I can become one of the best and maybe even go pro.

“If it weren’t for him pushing me to be better, I would have not had the same level of skill as I have now.”

During his time on the soccer pitch, Leyva has bounced all over, playing multiple positions.

He started as a defender, “then, like all kids, wanted to score goals” and moved up to forward. Now he generally operates as a midfielder, working the right side of the field, where he can use his speed and dribbling skills to blast by people.

The speed is honed by working out, while his reflexes are sharpened in a different way.

“I run to stay in shape and play video games like every other teenage dude!”

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