Nick Guay has scored in all four seasons he’s played soccer for Coupeville High School. (Cole White photo)
A soccer season like no other is upon us.
Playing as a joint team, Coupeville High School booters took the pitch at Mickey Clark Field Tuesday and fought hard against a top-level squad.
The visitors were the defending 2B/1B boys state champs, and Friday Harbor looked like little has changed from a season ago, raining down goals from multiple directions in a 7-1 victory.
The season-opening loss, while against a Northwest League foe, counts in the standings as a non-conference affair.
The Wolves, who open with seven of their first nine at home, play four non-league bouts, then eight which count in the conference standings as they chase a playoff berth.
Tuesday’s game was a milestone one in the two-decade history of CHS soccer, with girls and boys on the field at the same time.
Coupeville’s girls’ program was unable to field a full roster, forcing school officials to scrap the schedule, but eight female players made the jump to play with the boys, with two landing on the varsity roster.
Junior midfielder Bryley Gilbert and junior forward Ayden Wyman both saw extended time with Coupeville’s first squad, and more than held their own.
Bryley Gilbert was one of two CHS girls to play Tuesday in a boys’ varsity soccer game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Friday Harbor was just too efficient, too opportunistic, and ultimately, too deadly for the Wolves.
“They play quick, one-touch ball,” said CHS coach Robert Wood. “They can score all night long.”
Coupeville senior Cole White ripped off the game’s first major shot, sending a zinger towards the net while on the move, only to see the visiting goalie poke the ball away at the last second.
Wolf junior goaltender Hurlee Bronec, making the jump to soccer after playing football the past two years, put together his own highlight reel, snuffing out several Friday Harbor shots.
The visitors finally cracked the CHS defense with a slap shot which slid into the far left corner of the net, eventually building a 3-0 lead midway through the first half.
Coupeville got on the board thanks to Nick Guay, who collected a sweet setup pass from White and slugged the ball to paydirt.
It was the ninth career goal for the Wolf senior, who has beaten rival netminders in each of his four seasons.
He leads all active CHS boys in scoring and is one goal shy of becoming the 11th male player to crack double digits.
Friday Harbor, showcasing its depth and explosive offensive attack, rattled the net for two more goals right before the halftime break, before topping things off with another pair late in the game.
Even trailing, Coupeville’s defense was chippy, with Cael Wilson earning props for chasing down and hip-checking a runaway Wolverine to deny him a chance to score.
There are multiple soccer players in this photo, if you know where to look. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
While the Wolves lost, CHS coaches Kimberly Kisch and Wood came away happy with the level of fitness they saw from their players, and the team’s ability to mesh as one unit, regardless of the lineup.
Squaring off with the state champs in game one was never going to be easy, and a loss is a loss, even if it’s not a ding on the league record — but the lessons learned will benefit the Wolves moving forward.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had an easy game for our opening game, ever,” Wood said with a chuckle. “We always get Friday Harbor, or Orcas, or one of the really good private schools.
“But overall, we played well,” he added.
“We’ll go back to working on what we need to practice on and look forward to Friday.”
Coupeville soccer gets a chance to claim the Friday Night Lights phenomenon for itself, with Wolf football hitting the road to travel to Sultan this week.
The booters host Providence Classical Christian (0-1), with the game set to kickoff at 6:00 PM.
Admission is free, and there may be a JV game after the varsity clash, though Coupeville officials are waiting for confirmation on that.
JV makes its debut:
Angel Partida punched home his first goal in a CHS uniform, Josh Lujan made some inspired saves in goal for the Wolves, and five girls played with their male counterparts in a 4-1 loss.
The game was shortened to two 20-minute halves to allow Friday Harbor time to make it back to the ferry.
Lujan deflected several point-bank shots, went to the ground to snuff out a potential goal during a mad scramble in front of the net, and did his best to blunt the Wolverines attack.
He got help from Ava Mitten and Sophia Broderick, who brought intensity while disrupting Friday Harbor’s pinpoint passing attack.
Frankie Tenore, Lydia Price, and Brynn Parker also saw action for the Wolves.
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