Oak Harbor soccer team displays ‘grit’

Published 7:00 pm Saturday, October 22, 2005

Oak Harbor soccer coach Gretchen Hanson is confident her team’s 3-10-1 record isn’t reflective of the effort they’ve put forth this season.

In nearly all of their games, the Wildcats have had a chance to either hold on to a late lead or had an opportunity to work back into game — only to let it slip away in the final minutes.

Things finally took a turn on Thursday night when the Wildcats fended off Stanwood in the second half for a 2-1 victory. Not only was hanging onto the lead important, but it also marked the first time this season Oak Harbor has won back-to-back games after defeating Arlington 4-1 on Tuesday.

“Finally,” Hanson said. “It was grit that we hung onto and were able to pull through.”

Oak Harbor built on its lead quickly Thursday, scoring its first goal in the fourth minute of the game. Maile McCumber put the OHHS on the board, nailing a wide-open shot into the left corner of the net on an assist from sophomore Brooke Dewitt.

The aggressive Wildcats didn’t stop there.

Twenty minutes later OHHS capitalized on a corner kick from senior Gia Dimatteo. The perfectly-placed ball went off the head of Dewitt first, then off the head of junior Ashli Melcher into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Stanwood inched closer before the half, taking advantage of a penalty kick from 20 yards out. Spartan senior Brittany Sutton booted the ball off the top goal post deflecting right to teammate Lauren Hansen in front of the goal. Hanson simply bumped the ball into the net with her knee for the score.

Tied at halftime, Oak Harbor simply wanted to hold on to the lead — and they did exactly that.

The Spartans let loose on 10 shots in the second half, but sophomore reserve goalkeeper Kelli Roberts and an aggressive defense didn’t allow any solid shots.

Roberts, who was replacing an injured Sam Shulock, had seven saves for the game. She was asked only a day earlier to fill in at goalkeeper after Shulock suffered a concussion in Tuesday’s game at Arlington.

“She did wonderful for us saying ‘alright you’re going in now,’” Hanson said.

Overall, Hanson was pleased with everyone’s effort.

“They do have the potential to do that,” she said. “They’ve struggled in the second game of the week all throughout the year and it’s great to see, even with the record as it is, that they’re not giving up.”

Oak Harbor 4, Arlington 1

The Wildcats started their week off strong, beating Arlington 4-1 on the road. Dewitt had a career performance, scoring all four goals, all in the first half.

Arlington’s goal came late in the game off the foot of Roxanne Pederson.

The Wildcats wrap up their season this week, traveling to Mount Vernon on Tuesday, Oct. 25 and hosting Marysville-Pilchuck Thursday, Oct. 27.