Overcoming a slow start in a big way, the Coupeville girls’ soccer team steamrolled Sultan 4-0 Thursday at Mickey Clark Field.

It was a week of opposites for the Wolves. Tuesday they faced the state’s No.1 ranked team, unbeaten and first place Archbiship Thomas Murphy, and lost 5-0. Thursday’s match featured a battle with last-place and winless Sultan.

In the win over Sultan, the two teams played evenly until Amee Craggs booted home a winner just before the half. Coach Mike Thornton said,”We have a tendency to play down to the level of our opponents. The first half we played slower.” He said he discussed that habit at halftime and that “the girls got the message.”

It came in loud and clear as the Wolves drilled in three more goals and had a handful of other chances as they dominated play.

Amanda Montana scored the Wolves’ second goal and Caitlin Phillips followed with the final two. Courtney Boyd and Amanda d’Almeida recorded assists.

Ashley Manker, playing her first full game since getting injured Sept. 17, earned the shutout in goal.

Tuesday’s match against Archbishop Thomas Murphy pitted the Wolves against a team that had outscored opponents 62-1 in its nine matches, including an 11-0 romp over Coupeville September 22. Although Coupeville fell again, it was far from the ease of the first matchup.

Coupeville held the Wildcats scoreless until the 44th minute and trailed only 1-0 at the half.

Thornton said the day before the ATM match his girls had a defeatist attitude and were intimidated. He said, “We (the coaching staff) tried to get them to understand in practice how to compete.” Compete, they did, according to Thornton. The Wolves didn’t score, but they did, in Thornton’s words, “take it to them” and created chances to put points on the board.

Thornton said, “I am very pleased with how they played.” He noted how when the Wildcats scored several times late in the match to secure the win, his girls caught themselves hanging their heads, but “they didn’t quit” and fought through it.

The Wolves are 2-10 in Cascade Conference play, 4-10 overall.