Senior defender Cody Menges is part of a strong group of returning lettermen for the Wolf booters. (John Fisken photos)
Abraham Leyva torched the nets for a team-high 14 goals last season, earning First-Team All-League honors.
Win-loss records can be deceptive.
Take a quick gander at last year’s results for the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad and things don’t look real great.
In their first year in the 1A Olympic League the Wolves finished 3-11 overall, 2-4 in conference play, nabbing third-place in a four-team league.
But that’s not the whole story.
Look closer and you would have seen Coupeville was laid low by an extraordinary run of injuries, which at times took away nearly half its starters.
And yet the Wolves came within a goal of upending Port Townsend and claiming second in their league.
Now, with a healthy roster (including the return of one of his most dangerous weapons), third-year CHS coach Kyle Nelson is striding into the new season with an air of confidence.
“We have many returning player with varsity experience,” he said. “Most of those returning players are seniors who are coming back quicker and stronger.
“In our first week of practice it is clear that we are starting right from where we ended last year.”
Topping those returning players are three First-Team All-League picks from last year — senior forward/midfielder Abraham Leyva, senior defender Tanner Kircher and sophomore midfielder William Nelson.
That trio is part of a group of 12 returning lettermen, including senior Zane Bundy, who was Coupeville’s second-leading scorer as a sophomore before missing virtually the entire season last year with a leg injury.
With Bundy working the sidelines in a suit instead of running the pitch, he watched as Leyva rattled home a team-high 14 goals (giving him 25 for his stellar two-year CHS career).
The surprise #2 scorer in 2015 was then-junior Sebastian Davis, who roared out of nowhere to notch six goals in his first go-round as a Wolf booter.
He’s also back, giving Coupeville three marksmen.
Four if you count William Nelson, who hit the back of the net three times as a frosh.
Other lettermen back in uniform include seniors Taylor Chiles (F), Garrett Compton (MF), Cody Menges (D), Loren Nelson (M) and Connor McCormick (GK), junior Uriel Liquidano (D/MF) and sophomore Ethan Spark (MF).
Senior Jose Marcos (GK) and junior Zack Nall (F/M) are also expected to claim varsity spots.
While there’s talent and experience, the one area the Wolves are deficient in is numbers. Repeat last year’s wave of injuries and things could get dicey.
“We are lacking depth,” Kyle Nelson said. “We are down new players coming in and overall numbers, so if we have injuries that could potentially cause problems.
“We are already working harder this year to raise fitness levels to try and avoid injuries.”
The biggest obstacle in Coupeville’s way will be league mate Klahowya, which went 17-4-2 overall, 6-0 in league play and finished fourth at the 1A state tourney last year.
While he’s ready to take a swing at the champs, Nelson is also looking square at Port Townsend, which edged the Wolves 4-2 and 3-2 the first time around.
“Last year we had real good games against Port Townsend, just coming up short on both games,” he said. “We are looking forward to turning that around this year.”
However the regular season goes, the Wolf coach wants his team to be peaking at the end.
Having dropped loser-out playoff games to Mount Baker (3-0) and Charles Wright Academy (5-2) in his first two seasons, Nelson wants to see a return to the days, not that long ago, when the Wolf booters made strong second-season runs.
“I fully expect to have some postseason play this year,” he said. “With the way the District 3 tournament is set I believe we will have a good opportunity for some success.”
To see Coupeville’s soccer schedule, pop over to:
http://www.olympicleague.com/index.php?league=21&page_name=game_schedule&school=24&sport=9
Coupeville Sports 