Olympic League standings

Team Lg. Over.

Kingston 8-1-0 10-3-0

Sequim 7-2-0 8-3-2

North Kitsap 7-3-0 8-4-0

Port Angeles 6-3-0 9-3-1

Bremerton 3-7-0 4-9-0

North Mason 2-7-0 3-7-2

Olympic 0-10-0 0-13-1

Sequim senior Liam Harris didn’t get his school record-breaking goal Friday night, but there were plenty of memorable scores to go around for the Wolves.

A quick and varied Sequim attack paced the Wolves to a 5-0 rout of league rival North Kitsap on April 20, giving the Wolves a shot at the Olympic League title with three games remaining.

The win helped the Wolves (7-2-0 in league play, 8-3-2 overall) remove the bitter taste of a 2-1 loss to North Kitsap on March 21, a game they led throughout until the Vikings capitalized on a couple of late miscues.

Sequim coach Dave Brasher said Friday night’s shutout was the best game he’s seen Sequim put together all season.

“They couldn’t match our speed and intensity,” Brasher said. “(And) the defense just clamped down.”

While Chris Morgan, Mathew Craig and Rudy Franco in the Wolves’ back line kept Sequim’s side of the field quiet for keeper Liam Stevenson, Sequim got a number of deep attacks to put pressure on the visiting Vikings (7-3-0, 8-4-0) throughout the key league match-up.

Early on it looked inevitable Sequim would break through, but a number of first half chances went awry. After a shot on goal that appeared to cross the goal line was cleared by North Kitsap defenders at 32 minutes, Harris — whose next score would give him 41 for his career, breaking Kai Antrim’s SHS mark — drove a shot in on goal that Viking goalkeeper Matthew Tucker dived to save. Ryan Tolberd added a bicycle kick shot on goal five minutes later that required another Tucker save.

Sequim finally broke through at 24 minutes when Ian Parker drove down the right side of the field and found a streaking Mike McAleer who netted a score, his seventh of the season.

Just six minutes later, Sequim exchange student Hayuk Minano capitalized on a North Kitsap turnover, finding Adrian Funston near the in NK goal; Funston slotted it home past Tucker for a 2-0 Sequim lead.

The Wolves kept up the pressure deep into first half injury/stoppage time and were rewarded when Minano muscled his way into the penalty box, was taken down and converted the ensuing penalty kick to give Sequim a 3-0 advantage.

“We have a variety of ways to attack,” Brasher said, from Minano setting up shots in the middle, Harris in various positions, Tolberd’s speed, McAleer in the air and others.

Sequim kept up the pressure in the second half, with Harris, Minano and Addie Berg each getting shots on goal in the first few minutes.

North Kitsap’s Nick Cullen looked to give the Vikings a spark, but his shot on goal at the 54-minute mark went wide left, and Stevenson made a diving stop on an NK shot a minute later.

Tolberd helped quell any North Kitsap comeback with a highlight-reel score at 66 minutes, spinning away from an NK defender, racing the better part of 50 yards and rocketing a shot into the net for a tally — his 12th of the season — for a 4-0 Sequim lead.

Funston added icing on the proverbial cake, converting a long Tolberd chip shot for a score with about four minutes remaining.

“Everyone played great,” Brasher said. “We’re deep. I didn’t think that at the start of the year but we’ve got Brandon Benson back, Eli Gish is playing well as a freshman, (and) McAleer is really coming on.”

Beating the Bulldogs

Earlier in the week, Sequim knocked off North Mason in Belfair 4-0 as Harris got his school record-tying 40th career goal and Stevenson recorded a shutout on April 17.

Brasher said the Wolves started “a little sketchy” as North Mason freshman Domingo Pedro-Gaspar forced Stevenson to make a pair of diving stops early on.

With Bulldog keeper Dylan Abad similarly making some nice rejections, a patient Sequim squad finally broke through with two goals in two minutes just before halftime.

In the 34th minute, Harris found Funston in the corner; Funston dribbled to the end line and cut the ball back to Minano, who tucked the ball away.

Two minutes later, Minano headed on a long free kick by Morgan. Tolberd ran on to the ball and sent it in low and to the right for a 2-0 Sequim lead.

In the second half, Sequim scored off of a corner kick in the 49th minute when Minano sent in the corner and McAleer headed the ball in. “That was another quality goal,” Brasher said.

The Wolves’ Harris capped the scoring in the 71st minute after Berg found Harris at about 22 yards out and the SHS senior ripped a curling shot into the net.

“It was our last goal of the game and it was a beauty,” Brasher said.

Looking ahead

Sequim was scheduled to play at Port Angeles on April 24, their third meeting this season; the Roughriders shut out Sequim 4-0 on March 24 and the team played to a 4-4 draw in a friendly at Peninsula College on April 7.

The Wolves are at Kingston on April 27 and finish the regular season at home against Bremerton on May 1.

With wins in their final three games, Sequim would claim the league title after having beaten league-leading Kingston earlier this season.

“We’ve talked about that since mid-season; if we win out, we can win league,” Brasher said.

The West Central District playoffs are set for May 5-12 at various sites, with the top four teams from the Olympic League and top eight from the two South Puget Sound League divisions battling for five state 2A tourney berths.

Sequim’s Mike McAleer (13) gets congratulations from teammates (from left) Liam Harris, Sean Weber and Ryan Tolberd (3) after scoring the first goal in the Wolves’ 5-0 shutout of North Kitsap on April 20. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Sequim High exchange student Hayuk Minano (7) leads a breakaway with teammate Ryan Tolberd following the play in the first half of Sequim’s 5-0 win on April 20. Minano and Tolberd each had a score in the key Olympic League win. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Sequim’s Adrian Funston tries to track down the ball deep in North Kitsap territory at Viking goalkeeper Matthew Tucker makes a play. Funston had two of the Wolves’ five scores in a 5-0 win Friday night. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell