Second half surge carries Falcons by Wolves | Soccer

South Whidbey converted two second half goals to slip by the Coupeville High School soccer team 3-1 Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Mickey Clark Field.

Coupeville coach Dan D'Almeida said the Falcons "capitalized well on their set pieces" and scored the game's first goal when the South Whidbey forwards "rushed the goal hard." The Coupeville keeper got her hands on the ball but couldn't clear it.

The Wolves tied the match on "a beautiful run by Madison Tisa-McPhee onto a through ball by Amanda d'Almeida," coach d'Almeida said.

Tisa-McPhee used her speed to outrun the Falcon defenders and "beat the keeper cleanly by patiently waiting for her to go down," d'Almeida said.

South Whidbey (1-2, 1-3-1) took the lead in the second half when it won a ball a midfield, cut the ball across two defenders and punched in a goal.

The final Falcon score came off a free kick after the Wolves handled the ball outside the box. "Maia Sparkman avoided our wall and bent the ball beyond the reach of our keeper," d'Ameida said.

Although the Wolves scored only one goal, d'Almeida was "happy with the pressure our forwards were able to apply." The Wolves' counter attack created several scoring opportunities, he said.

D'Ameida lauded the Falcons' aggressive forward play and stout defense, and added, "I do feel we had more dangerous opportunities and controlled the play at times, but they had the advantage on set pieces today."

Coupeville (0-3, 0-5) goes to Sultan (0-3, 1-4) for a 6 p.m. match Thursday, Sept. 20.

Contact Whidbey News Times Sports editor Jim Waller at jwaller@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5060.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.