SEQUIM — The youthful Sequim boys soccer team limited Olympic offensively and found the net just after halftime for its first win of the season by the score of 1-0.
“We started out really slow, which is our game plan. We want to control the tempo of the game,” assistant coach Dave Breckenridge said. “We tried to play with too much tempo in our first games and against Olympic we got an opportunity to control the game, keep possession and make the right plays.”
Breckenridge said the team’s on-field connection has improved in the early season and that was on display Tuesday night.
“We did a good job of communicating when we worked the ball through [offensively],” Breckenridge said.
“We were in control most of the game. Their counter was to send long balls and we swallowed them up defensively. Our trouble was we couldn’t link up consistently in the final one-third. The scoreboard didn’t reflect how we played, we were close to a 4-0 or a 5-0, but we were in full control of what we planned to do.”
Preston Kurtze broke through for Sequim’s goal just after halftime.
“It started with a great build out from the back. We kept possession through midfield and we sent a cross outside to him and he beat their back line to the net and blasted it,” Breckenridge said. “There’s not a keeper in the league who would have stopped it.”
Sequim saw the game out with possession against a Trojans team that was aggressively trying to get back in the game.
“Nova Barrett in the back line was absolutely solid and spot on,” Breckenridge said.
The Wolves (1-2-0) visit North Kitsap today.
Port Angeles 5, North Mason 1
BELFAIR — The Roughriders conceded an early Bulldogs goal and were chasing the game in the first half before a big save and a tying goal flipped momentum in Port Angeles’ favor.
“The Riders weathered the storm and Marcus Hogan came up with a big save to keep the Bulldogs from going up 2-0 midway through the first half,” coach Chris Saari said. “In the 38th minute, Port Angeles had a corner kick that Keane McClain put into the box. Jacob Miller got a head on it and it went to the far post where a Bulldog player intentionally handballed the ball for a penalty kick. Keane McClain took the penalty kick and made his shot low and to the keeper’s right.”
Two unassisted goals lifted the Riders into the lead.
Freshman Matthew Miller put the Riders up 2-1 in the 53rd minute and Caleb Lagrange scored his first-ever varsity goal when he collected the ball on the right side of the box and beat the keeper to his right on a placed shot.
Miller was involved in the next Port Angeles goal when he sent in left-to-right cross into the goal box and the ball was knocked into the net by a Bulldog defender.
Hannes Spieker added the fifth goal in the 72nd minute off an assist from Jacob Miller.
“The boys stepped up their defensive pressure in the second half and did a much better job of denying the Bulldogs time and space,” Saari said. “It was another show of character to be down a goal and make a comeback to get the key three points on the road early in the league season.”
Saari said Hogan had his best game of the season in goal.
“He made one really great save in the first half and did a great job absorbing a lot of pressure from the Bulldogs throughout the game,” Saari said. “He was in the right spot positioning wise and collected a lot of North Mason’s shots and headers that got flicked his way.”
Hogan was picked as the defensive player of the game, along with Zak Alton and Lagrange.
Miller was the offensive pick and Spieker, Jacob Miller and McClain were the transition players of the match.
Port Angeles (4-1-0) hosts Olympic tonight on the new turf at Peninsula College.
East Jefferson 3, Cascade Christian 2, 2 OT
PORT TOWNSEND — Connor Scanlon’s golden goal in the second overtime capped a Rivals comeback and lifted the team to its first win of the season at Memorial Field.
“He ran onto a through ball in the midfield and beat the defender with pace and finished one-on-one against the goalie,” coach Rob Cantley said. “He had a couple balls in regular time that could have sealed it, but he kept plugging away up there and got his reward.
“The boys were pretty ecstatic about the win, it was pretty hard fought throughout.”
East Jefferson senior Sean Botkin opened the scoring on a free kick in the first half for East Jefferson.
“He did the clever play and hit the ball low,” Cantley said. “The players on the wall jumped up to block and he went under them.”
Cascade tied the game and took the lead in the second half on a couple of frantic plays in the goal box, but the Rivals kept pushing.
“We stayed in it. Their goalie was making some good plays, but we got the tying goal about 10 minutes from the end of regulation from Gradyn White.
“He came up the right side and made a left-footed shot over the goalie into the far corner,” Cantley said. “That jazzed the boys up.”
East Jefferson (1-2-0, 1-3-0) visits Klahowya today.
Girls tennis
Bainbridge 6, Port Angeles 1
Port Angeles’ Waverly Mead takes aim during her singles match against Katherine Walker of Bainbridge Island on Tuesday at Port Angeles High School. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ top singles player Waverly Mead earned the lone Roughriders win in a 6-1 girls tennis loss to the Class 3A Bainbridge Spartans on Tuesday.
Mead claimed her No. 1 singles match 7-6, 6-2 over Katherine Walker to earn player of the match honors from coach Stephanie Gochnour.
Bainbridge 6, Port Angeles 1
Match Report Singles
No. 1: Waverly Mead (PA) def. Katherine Walker (B) 7-6, 6-2
No. 2: Kristina Walker (B) def. Bella Artis (PA) 2-6, 2-6
No. 3: Ruby Morrow (B) def. Bridget Weed (PA) 6-1, 6-1.
Doubles
No. 1: Malia Lemieux/Ella Schuchman (B) def. Cindy Liang/Gwenyth Van Blair 6-2, 6-1 (PA)
No. 2: Zoe Bellas/Xin Monson (B) def. Sarah Hancock/Kayla Jones (PA) 6-2, 6-1.
No. 3: Cece Combs/Serena Ninshaw (B) def. Abby Robinson/Katie Sperr-Krane (PA) 6-2, 6-0.
No. 4: Jane Johnston/Isabelle McLean (B) def. Ryle Medley/Lucia Garcia Pulido (PA) 6-2, 6-3.
Boys Golf
Sequim 161, North Kitsap 191
SEQUIM — Cole Smithson shot a 1-over-par 38 to claim medalist honors for the second straight match in a win on the front nine at The Cedars at Dungeness.
Smithson finished his round off with a crushed tee shot, an on-target chip shot and a birdie putt on the ninth hole.
“Cole’s mindset is night and day better from the beginning of the year,” coach Sean O’Mera said.
Carter Cronin was one stroke back at 39.
“Carter was mentally tough enough to let himself play to his potential,” O’Mera said.
Freshman Cody Dunscomb shot a 41 and Zack Thompson posted a 43 to round out Sequim’s scorers.
The Wolves host Bainbridge today.
Track and Field
BREMERTON — Sequim’s Sean Southard and Andrew Brown were double winners at an Olympic League meet at Olympic High School on Tuesday.
Southard won the 400 meters with a time of 54.71 seconds and took first in the javelin with a throw of 137 feet, 8½ inches.
Brown won the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 16.15 seconds and took first in the high jump with a height of 6 feet, 0 inches.
Mirek Skov also won the pole vault with a height of 12-6.
For the girls, Kaitlyn Bloomenrader, a member of Sequim’s state champion 4×400 relay team last year, won the 400 meters in a time of 1:03.61.
Bloomenrader and her teammates — Anastasia Updike, Nikoline Updike and Emma Bergmann — won the 4×400 relay in a time of 4:46.62.
Jolene Vaara took first in the high jump with a jump of 5-0, while Ahrya Klinger took first in the pole vault at 6-6.
