Soccer | Coupeville Sports

Posts Tagged ‘Soccer’

Young, scrappy and hungry!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged Aram Leyva, CHS Wolves, Ethan Spark, Soccer, William Nelson on March 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Nick Dion and Co. are lunging into a new season. (John Fisken photo)

Freshman Aram Leyva (middle) arrives, ready to chase brother Abraham’s school scoring records. (Pat Kelley photo)

Zack Nall (20) is one of three returning players who scored last year for the Wolves. (Fisken photo)

They’re not throwing away their shot.

It’s a wild new world for Coupeville High School boys soccer, which heads into a new season missing the two biggest goal-scorers in program history and facing a different schedule than in previous seasons.

After playing six conference games in each of their first two seasons in the 1A Olympic League, the Wolves will up that to nine this time around.

That brings soccer even with other sports such as basketball and volleyball and guarantees, if nothing else, everyone’s league record will look different by season’s end.

In the first two seasons, boys soccer was the only sport to have all four league teams post the exact same mark both times around.

Two-time champ Klahowya has gone 6-0 in each previous season, while Port Townsend (4-2), Coupeville (2-4) and Chimacum (0-6) have also all been locked in.

While the Wolves want to topple the Eagles, who have gone to state the last two seasons, finishing 4th in 2015, they also want to get over the edge against the RedHawks.

Twice CHS has come within a goal of knocking off Port Townsend.

Generating goals will be a big key to any Wolf success, as Coupeville took a big hit with the graduation of premium net-finders Abraham Leyva and Zane Bundy.

In all, CHS lost 10 seniors from a team which finished 5-9-1, losing 2-1 to Bellevue Christian in the playoffs, but Leyva’s exit leaves the biggest question mark.

He rattled home 20 goals in his senior campaign, finishing off his three-year stint with the Wolves with a program-record 45 scores.

There is hope, though, as three of the eight players to score last season are back on the pitch.

Ethan Spark, who was second in goals with eight a year ago, returns, as well as First-Team All-League pick William Nelson (5 goals, school-record 14 assists) and Zack Nall (3 goals).

Joining them is freshman Aram Leyva, Abraham’s younger brother and a potent scoring weapon at every level he’s played.

Coupeville coach Kyle Nelson has five returning letter winners, with defenders Uriel Liquidano and Laurence Boado joining Nall, Nelson and Spark.

Several JV players from last year are expected to make the jump this season, including midfielders Nick Dion and Brandon Jansen, defenders Uriah Kastner and Teo Keilwitz and goalies Brian Roberts and Mathew Shreffner.

Freshman James Wood is also in play for a varsity spot.

“We will be a young team this year, with quite a few varsity players having this be their first year on the varsity squad,” Kyle Nelson said. “But we are returning some key players who will be playing in central positions up the field, forming a solid core.

“My goal is to form a well-organized, disciplined, defensive squad,” he added. “And with anyone who watches us play this year seeing significant improvement through the course of the season.”

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Save the date(s)!!

Posted in schedules, tagged baseball, CHS Wolves, schedules, Soccer, Softball, spring sports, tennis, Track on February 7, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Jae LeVine and the Wolf softball squad get 12 of 20 games on their home field. (John Fisken photos)

William Nelson and CHS soccer kick off spring sports action Mar. 11.

Sage Renninger (left) and Payton Aparicio will have to be road warriors, with tennis playing 60% of its matches away from Coupeville.

Shane Losey and Co. open their season with six of their first 10 at home.

Fleet-footed Abby Parker, perfectly capturing the look of the spring athlete who kind of wished the season didn't start until June.

Fleet-footed Abby Parker, perfectly capturing the look of every track athlete who kind of wished the season didn’t start until June.

Now, we’re not trying to hurry basketball out of the gym.

Having endured more than one “spring” on the prairie, I would be perfectly willing to wait until May or June for spring sports to start.

But, the powers that be don’t agree with me, so here we are, less than three weeks until the first day of practice pops up Monday, Feb. 27.

The first games hit Saturday, Mar. 11, and the first time we’ll ever be warm at a game will arrive the day AFTER spring sports end.

Anyway… Here’s your 98.3% correct schedules.

While there may be a tweak or two to come (and weather can, and will, mess everything up at some point), this is pretty close to being ready for the ol’ lamination machine.

Three side notes here.

One, CHS track gets its first home meet in many a year, as the brand-new oval makes its debut Mar. 30.

And your eyes don’t deceive you — the Wolf softball squad gets an honest-to-goodness home doubleheader Apr. 3, when they welcome Blaine to town during Spring Break.

Finally, baseball’s opening day, especially if you look at it on the Olympic League site, is a little confusing.

It lists the Wolves playing at home against La Conner and on the road at Lynden Christian, when in reality both games will be played on the road.

It’s a three-team doubleheader at Lynden, with Coupeville considered the home team in the La Conner game … even though they won’t really be at home.

Got that?

The diamond women have the spring’s most favorable schedule, with 12 of 20 at home.

Baseball (10 of 20 or “11” of 20, if we’re counting the road “home” game) and boys soccer (8 of 15) also play on Whidbey more times than not.

Only girls tennis (6 of 15) and track (1 of 8) will be true road warriors.

The varsity schedules (* = Olympic League games):

BASEBALL

Sat-Mar. 11 — DH @ Lynden Christian (vs. La Conner 1:00 and LC 3:30)
Wed-Mar. 15 — @ Chimacum (*) — 3:30
Fri-Mar. 17 — Sequim — 3:30
Sat-Mar. 18 — South Whidbey — 1:00
Mon-Mar. 20 — Bremerton — 4:00
Fri-Mar. 24 — @North Mason — 3:30
Sat-Mar. 25 — Vashon Island — 1:00
Mon-Mar. 27 — Sultan — 4:00
Wed-Mar. 29 — Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Fri-Mar. 31 — @ Port Townsend (*) — 3:30
Sat-Apr. 8 — @ Cedarcrest — 1:00
Wed-Apr. 12 — Chimacum (*) — 3:30
Sat-Apr. 15 — Friday Harbor — 2:00
Mon-Apr. 17 — @ Sequim — 3:30
Fri-Apr. 21 — @ Klahowya (*) –3:30
Wed-Apr. 26 — Port Townsend (*) — 3:30
Fri-Apr. 28 — @ Chimacum (*) — 4:15
Mon-May 1 — Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Wed-May 3 — @ Port Townsend (*) — 3:30

BOYS SOCCER

Sat-Mar. 11 — @ Olympic — 1:15
Tues-Mar. 14 — Chimacum (*) — 6:45
Fri-Mar. 17 — Sequim — 5:15
Tues-Mar. 21 — @ Forks — 3:30
Fri-Mar. 24 — North Mason — 6:45
Tue-Mar. 28 — @ Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Fri-Mar. 31 — Port Townsend (*) — 6:45
Mon-Apr. 3 — @ Vashon Island — 5:30
Tues-Apr. 11 — @ Chimacum (*) — 6:45
Fri-Apr. 14 — Port Angeles — 6:45
Sat-Apr. 22 — Port Townsend (*) — 6:45
Tues-Apr. 25 — Klahowya (*) — 6:45
Fri-Apr. 28 — @ Port Townsend (*) — 6:45
Tues-May 2 — Chimacum (*) — 6:45
Fri-May 5 — @ Klahowya (*) — 5:30

GIRLS TENNIS

Mon-Mar. 13 — @ Port Angeles — 3:00
Tue-Mar. 14 — @ South Whidbey — 3:30
Thur-Mar. 16 — Sequim — 3:30
Tues-Mar. 21 — @Kingston — 4:00
Thur-Mar. 23 — Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Mon-Mar. 27 — Olympic — 3:15
Wed-Mar. 29 — @ Granite Falls — 3:30
Mon-Apr. 10 — @ North Kitsap — 4:00
Wed-Apr. 12 — North Mason — 3:30
Fri-Apr. 14 — @ Chimacum (*) — 4:00
Tues-Apr. 18 — Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Tues-Apr. 25 — Chimacum (*) — 3:30
Wed-Apr. 26 — @ South Whidbey — 3:30
Thur-Apr. 27 — @ Klahowya (*) — 4:00
Thur-May 4 — @ Chimacum (*) — 4:00

SOFTBALL

Sat-Mar. 18 — South Whidbey — 1:00
Fri-Mar. 24 — @ North Mason — 3:30
Sat-Mar. 25 — Vashon Island — 1:00
Wed-Mar. 29 — Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Fri-Mar. 31 — @ Port Townsend (*) — 3:30
Mon-Apr. 3 — Blaine (DH) — 11:00/1:00
Fri-Apr. 7 — @ Meridian — 4:00
Wed-Apr. 12 — Chimacum (*) — 3:30
Sat-Apr. 15 — Friday Harbor — 2:00
Thur-Apr. 20 — La Conner — 4:00
Fri-Apr. 21 — @ Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Sat-Apr. 22 — Lynden Christian — 2:00
Wed-Apr. 26 — Port Townsend (*) — 3:30
Fri-Apr. 28 — @ Chimacum (*) — 3:30
Mon-May 1 — Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Wed-May 3 — @ Port Townsend (*) — 3:30
Thur-May 4 — Sequim — 3:30
Mon-May 8 — @ Chimacum (*) — 3:30
Wed-May 10 — @ Sequim — 3:30

TRACK

Thurs-Mar. 16 — @ Island Jamboree in Oak Harbor — 3:30
Thur-Mar. 23 — @ Port Angeles (Kingston, Olympic) — 3:15
Thur-Mar. 30 — CHS home meet (opponents TBA) — 3:15
Wed-Apr. 12 — @ Olympic (North Kitsap, Sequim) — 3:15
Sat-Apr. 15 — @ Cashmere Invitational — 12:00
Thur-Apr. 20 — @ Port Angeles (Port Townsend, Sequim) — 3:15
Sat-Apr. 22 — @ Lil’ Norway Invitational in North Kitsap — 10:00
Thur-Apr. 27 — @ Port Townsend (North Mason, Olympic) — 3:15

To stay up to date as the spring unfolds in all its (probably) rainy, blustery glory, keep an eye on:

Olympic League — http://www.olympicleague.com/index.php?pid=0.21.0.0.200

Coupeville Schools — http://coupeville.tandem.co/

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She’s kinda the gold standard!!

Posted in Happy birthday, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Happy birthday, Lauren Grove, Soccer, Track on December 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Lauren Grove, certified super star. (Mindy Grove photo)

Miss Intense. (John Fisken photo)

Easy rider. (Tiffany Briscoe photo)

Pitch queen. (Fisken photo)

The voice came from behind me, calm, composed, with not a trace of boasting, just filled with quiet confidence.

“I am going to be on that wall.”

Lauren Grove was a relative newbie at the time, barely a few days into her high school athletic career, but there was absolutely no doubt when she spoke — she was going places.

I was gazing up at the track and field record board in the Coupeville High School gym.

Grove, in her own uniquely understated way, wanted me to know she would one day be sitting up there with Natasha Bamberger, with Chad Gale, with Jennie Cross, with the best her school had ever produced.

And she was right.

Jump forward to now and Lauren, who celebrates the big 1-8 today, is up on the big board twice, part of two of the fastest relay teams ever to wear Coupeville’s uniform.

She has a season left, and thanks to a school levy, will be among the leaders of a Wolf team which will debut the school’s new track oval this spring.

As her senior year unspools, it is easy to be impressed with Miss Grove on so many levels.

One of just two Class of 2017 athletes who are still on target to play a sport in all 12 of their high school seasons (joining Tiffany Briscoe), Lauren has blazed an impressive trail.

Two seasons on the volleyball court, then a mid-career jump to soccer, where she became an award-winning goaltender seemingly overnight.

Four seasons on the basketball court, an integral part of teams which won league titles, advanced to state and staked Coupeville’s claim to being the dominant hoops power in the region.

And, of course, track.

Three seasons (so far) of busting records, piling up medals and gliding like a gazelle, albeit one whose eyes scorch foes very souls as she rips past them.

Grove is passionate, committed, relentless as an athlete, the very model to hold up to younger girls and boys who want to rise to a high level.

When she walks off the high school stage for the final time — hopefully bearing more medals at next spring’s state track meet — I feel confident she will be able to do so with a genuine sense of accomplishment.

Lauren will be able to look back and say, “I gave everything I had. I never, ever backed down or took the easy way out.”

And her parents, her family, her friends and teammates, her coaches and fans, will be justifiably proud of all she accomplished.

But, of course, it goes way beyond whatever medals she has (or will) win, whatever baskets she has hit, whatever soccer shots she has knocked away from her goal.

Lauren Grove is a truly remarkable young woman, one of the most genuinely talented I have written about.

There is a sweetness to her soul that is rare, an unswerving loyalty to her family and friends that always seems genuine, and, if we had to sum her up in one word, I would say … class.

She is successful because she works hard, and she is respected because of how she carries herself, on the field and off.

Lauren Grove, when she was younger, was sure she was going to accomplish great things.

She was right, but her greatest accomplishment is not the medals or the wins, but the confident, compassionate, loyal young woman who makes the world around her a better place for her presence.

Miss Grove, you have impressed me, and I know you will continue to do so, through these final months of high school and long after.

My birthday present to you?

Early induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, effective today.

We could wait for you to graduate and all that, but we’re not going to do that.

You have earned your slot for your athletic accomplishments, and, more so, for the person you are.

From all of us who have watched your meteoric rise, as an athlete and a brilliant young woman, happy birthday and welcome to our lil’ digital hall of wonders.

You’re the best, Lauren. Always know that we all think that.

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Big games, big hearts!!

Posted in Hall o' Fame, tagged Ashley Manker, CHS Wolves, Hall of Fame, Jared Helmstadter, Soccer, three-balls on December 11, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Mason Grove (bottom, left) is joined by, clockwise, Ashley (Manker) Bailey, Jared Helmstadter and Paul Mendes, the coach of the 2010 CHS boys soccer team.

There’s a little something for everyone today.

As we prepare to induct the 77th class into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, we’re hitting a lot of bases, with an emphasis on basketball and soccer.

Two athletes, one stellar team and a moment which happened less than 24 hours ago (an “instant” Hall o’ Fame induction) come together as we fling open the door to these hallowed digital halls.

So, with that, we welcome Ashley (Manker) Bailey, Jared Helmstadter, Mason Grove and the 2010 Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad.

After this, you’ll find them up at the top of the blog, camped out under the Legends tab.

Our first inductee, Bailey, was a standout athlete in two sports, patrolling the goalie’s box on the pitch and defending the paint on the hardwood.

The best goaltender the CHS girls soccer program has had in its relatively short run, she used her height and knowledge picked up from coach/dad Gary to thoroughly frustrate opposing teams.

Put her on the hardwood, when her body would cooperate, and Bailey was a consistent scoring threat (the perfect #2 option to high-scoring teammate Megan Smith) who cleaned the glass like few other Wolves.

And when I say consistent, I mean it, as she scored in 42 of the 44 games she played as a sophomore and senior, breaking double digits 16 times.

Bailey went out battling, dropping a game-high 16 against King’s in a four-point playoff loss during her senior season in 2010, then went on to play both her sports at the collegiate level.

Our second inductee, Grove, is just starting his run. With a season of tennis tucked under one arm, the CHS freshman is now five games into his first basketball season.

And yet he may have already done something no other Wolf has ever accomplished.

As far as I can tell, Brad Sherman and Brian Fakkema, who both hit six three-pointers in a varsity game in the early 2000s, are the gold standard for long-range bombers.

Enter Grove, who nailed seven treys, including three in the fourth quarter, last night, part of a 24-point rampage that lifted the Coupeville JV to a roof-rattling 55-51 win over a South Whidbey squad that had two freshmen 6-foot-4 or taller.

Grove is listed at 5’4 on the CHS roster, but put a ball in his hands and he’s a giant. And now, an instant Hall o’ Famer.

Our third inductee, the 2010 Wolf boys’ soccer squad, stands as the best team in the history of the program.

Playing for legendary coach/original Seattle Sounder Paul Mendes, whose own induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame was maybe about #347 on his list of soccer accomplishments, the Wolves won a program-record 12 games that year.

Four of those victories came during a six-game playoff run, in which Coupeville toppled Lynden Christian, Nooksack Valley, Orting and Meridian before falling to Overlake at the state tourney.

Led by a very strong pack of seniors (including five who netted All-Conference honors — Spencer Tack, Justin Adams, Travis Curtin, Jordan Lamb and Evan Ameluxen-Coleman), the Wolves survived a brutal schedule that season.

Playing in the 1A/2A Cascade Conference, they faced King’s (4th in 1A) and ATM (which lost 1-0 to eventual 2A state champ Bellingham in the quarterfinals), while Overlake went on to finish second in 1A.

Through it all, they relied on an aggressive defense and the goal-tending of Ameluxen-Coleman to reach heights never seen before or since by a Coupeville soccer team.

Our final inductee, Helmstadter, may not have the same numbers as some of his fellow Hall o’ Famers, but he fully deserves his spot as one of the hardest workers I have witnessed in the prep sports world.

Few athletes got as much enjoyment out of their high school sports career as he did, a time when he was the only student in the CHS Class of 2016 to play all 12 seasons.

Through four years of tennis, basketball and track (which ended with a trip to state in the 4 x 400), there was never a moment when Helmstadter didn’t seize whatever opportunity was given him.

Born prematurely at 26 weeks (weighing just two pounds), he wasn’t expected to survive and has dealt with blindness in his left eye his entire life.

Some would give up early, others later. Not Jared.

A tremendously supportive teammate who gave every ounce of energy he had, Helmstadter is the person I would offer up to all young athletes as a role model.

Your high school days are going to be shorter than you think.

Enjoy whatever sports experience you get to have, never stop striving to be the best YOU can be, and walk away with a lot of memories.

Simply put, be like Jared.

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Warm weather lures away Wolf coach!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged Arizona, CHS Wolves, coaching changes, Samantha Shulock, Soccer on December 8, 2016| Leave a Comment »

CHS assistant soccer coach Samantha Shulock is moving to Phoenix. (John Fisken photo)

Coupeville High School is losing a popular assistant coach for the second time in three weeks.

In late Nov., it was Wolf football coach Ryan King announcing his departure.

Thursday it was CHS soccer assistant Samantha Shulock.

In a post on the team’s Facebook page, she told her players of her plans to move back to Phoenix at the start of the new year.

“I more than appreciate all of you girls and am proud of how much all of you grew this season!,” Shulock wrote. “Never forget you’re always a team, on and off the field.

“Good luck with your school year, other sports, and next season.”

A 2008 Oak Harbor High School grad who went on to play soccer at two colleges, she joined Troy Cowan’s staff this season.

Shulock worked with players on both sides of the ball, with an emphasis on defense.

Coupeville put together the first winning season in program history this fall, finishing 8-7-1 overall, 6-3 in 1A Olympic League play.

The Wolves claimed their third consecutive second-place league finish and lost a close playoff game to Charles Wright Academy.

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