Jacki Ginnings (John Fisken photo)
Jacki’s back!
Oh, and they played a soccer game, too. A tough, hard-fought 0-0 tie Saturday between the GU18 Whidbey Islanders and visiting Seattle United Shoreline in a State Cup contest.
But the big news was the return to the pitch of Coupeville High School star defender Jacki Ginnings, who has battled concussion issues for several months since taking a ferocious hit to the head in the fall while playing for the Wolves.
Cleared to play, she returned with a vengeance in her season debut.
“Rust … what rust!?!,” bellowed Islander coach Sean LeVine. “We’ve seen it all week at practice; this lady is supposed to have been sitting at home eating Bon Bons for the past two-and-a-half months, but she’s got a good touch, smart defense, and she’s leveling her coaches!
“Today was no different,” he added. “She played intelligent, tough defense, as all our defenders did, and she added to the offense with some blazing runs into the attack, nearly finishing her last one with a goal.”
Ginning’s fire in the belly was typical of the play shown by the Islanders, as they fought for every ball.
“It was a scrappy match,” LeVine said.
Seattle United pushed hard in the first half, but Islander goalie Kenzie Perry and her band of hard-nosed defenders blunted every charge. Then Whidbey turned up the heat in the second half.
“First half they seemed to have the ball on our half for most of the time. They seemed to be winning most of the balls in the air,” LeVine said. “Second half we got our team refocused on winning the 50/50 balls and increasing their hustle and aggressiveness.
“They responded!,” he added. “We dominated possession, passing, aerial duels, and shots on goal.”
Along with Ginnings return, the Islanders welcomed Bailee Olson to the pitch, as she made her debut in an Islander uniform.
Her presence help make up for the absence of Jennifer Spark, one of the team’s top defenders, who sat out with a concussion from the previous weekend’s game.
“While still not quite 100% (foot injury), Bailee put in a good chunk of time,” LeVine said. “She hustles, she works very hard to get to the ball and we’re excited to see what she can do down the stretch.”
The Islanders will have a busy schedule next weekend, with games on both Saturday and Sunday.
After playing a State Cup game on the road against the Vancouver Timbers (Sat-25), Whidbey will participate in a college showcase tournament, the PSPL Winter Showcase, in Tukwila Sunday.
That event will have 20+ college coaches in the stands to scout talent.
“They’ll be there from the east coast, mid west, and locally,” LeVine said. “We are excited about getting our players seen by those colleges.”
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