Unfazed by an early deficit, the young Coupeville High School soccer team fought back for a 4-3 win over Chimacum Tuesday, March 14, at Mickey Clark Field.
The win was a positive start for the Wolves in Olympic League play. They will now face three non-league opponents before returning to conference action.
First up is Sequim (1-0), which visits at 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 17.
Chimacum punched in two quick goals Tuesday, but Coupeville calmly countered, scoring three of its own in the first half to take the lead.
Ethan Spark started the comeback with a long line drive off the left post. James Wood followed with the tying score, then he assisted on Aram Leyva’s go-ahead goal.
Like the beginning of the game, Chimacum dominated for several minutes after halftime. This time, however, the Coupeville defense turned back each shot.
The Wolves controlled the next 10 minutes but failed to take advantage of numerous scoring opportunities.
Ironically, the Cowboys were able to tie the game off a free kick near the right corner during Coupeville’s time of dominant play.
With about seven minutes left in the match, Spark scored from a steep angle along the right end line to give the Wolves their winning goal.
Coupeville’s superior fitness was evident late in the match, and the Wolves continued to fire away in the final minutes, giving the Cowboys no chance to tie the game.
“The kids complain about our PT (physical training), but it helped us at the end,” coach Kyle Nelson said.
Nelson liked how his club came back after the rough start: “We handled it well.”
“We showed a lot of effort,” he added. “We have a lot of guys who are inexperienced; they are getting experience fast.”
Ethan Spark, who scored twice for Coupeville, fires a shot past a Chimacum defender. (Photo by John Fisken)
Laurence Broado controls a pass in Tuesday’s win. (Photo by John Fisken)
