Olympic League standings
Team Lg. Over.
Kingston 5-1-0 6-2-0
North Kitsap 5-1-0 6-2-0
Port Angeles 4-2-0 6-2-0
Sequim 4-2-0 5-2-1
Bremerton 2-4-0 3-6-0
North Mason 1-5-0 1-5-2
Olympic 0-6-0 0-9-1
A pair of key Olympic League victories — one a nail-biter, the other a blowout — has Sequim’s soccer squad in the mix near the top of the Olympic League standings.
Sequim bounced back from losses against Olympic League 2A Division boys soccer title contenders North Kitsap and rival Port Angeles to knock off another league leader in Kingston 2-1 at home on March 27.
“We came off the PA defeat and practice on Monday (March 26) was pretty intense,” Wolves coach Dave Brasher said. “The guys were not ready to throw in the towel and we came out and played one of our better games last night. We were solid all over the field.”
Sequim pressed from the kick off and it paid dividends almost immediately with the Wolves going up 1-0 in the second minute.
Senior Liam Harris took it down the right side and ripped a curling shot toward the Kingston net, Brasher said.
“Kingston’s goalie barely got a hand on it but was able to push it out, but Mike McAleer was there to finish up on the rebound,” Brasher said.
The Sequim coach said the Wolves continued to press forward and out-shot the Buccaneers 10-5 in the first half.
“Liam Stevenson played the first half in goal for us, his first action in goal and shut them out, so that was nice to see,” Brasher said.
Kingston tied the score up in the 58th minute. “A hard shot from Peter Sustad and Nick Janikic was in goal, he spilled it, they got a rebound and put it in,” Brasher said.
Sequim scored the eventual game winner five minutes later. Harris drove down the left side of the field and then passed back to Evan James, who hit from the left side to the right corner of the goal.
“A really nice shot by Evan,” Brasher said. “And Janikic made a couple of saves at the end to preserve it.”
Brasher named midfielder Sean Weber as the man of the match.
“He tackled really well and controlled the middle,” Brasher said.
Three days later, Sequim didn’t leave any room for a possible upset in an 8-1 win at Bremerton on March 30.
Ryan Tolberd scored four goals and had an assist as the Wolves blasted a shorthanded Bremerton squad entering spring break.
Harris added a pair of goals and an assist for the Wolves, and Hayuk Minano had a pair of assists.
McAleer also had a goal on a header off a cross by Adrian Funston and Reid Parker had his first goal for the Wolves.
Addison Berg added an assist for Sequim (4-2-0 in league, 5-2-1 overall). The Wolves’ Janikic, Stevenson and Navy Thomas-Brenske all played goal.
Looking ahead
Following a respite for spring break, the Wolves play rival Port Angeles in a friendly at Peninsula College on Saturday, April 7; game time is noon. The match will not count in the league standings. Sequim hosts Olympic on April 10 before a pair of away games: April 13 at Klahowya and April 17 at North Mason.
