One game was a nail-biter classic between two cross-peninsula rivals. The other, a game fraught with injuries that ended early.
In both, the Wolves came away with victories.
Once 1-4 and looking out of the playoff picture entering its spring break, Sequim’s boys soccer squad responded in the past two weeks with four consecutive victories to push the Wolves’ league record to 5-4.
The Wolves looked well on their way to clinching their fifth victory against Olympic on April 18 in Sequim, holding a 6-1 second half advantage, when a rash of injuries to an already depleted Trojan team forced Olympic to forfeit the remainder of the game.
“This was an absolute team win,” SHS coach Dave Breckenridge said. “We got contributions from everyone. I’m happy with that.”
Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group Port Angeles’ Jacob Weaver, left, fights for ball control with Sequim’s Evan Cisneros on April 16 at Peninsula College in Port Angeles.
The win helped Sequim rebound from its 1-0 road loss to Olympic on March 19.
“That was our second game. It was that we didn’t know who to trust [on our team]. Now, everyone trusts everyone.”
The Wolves were without regulars Colin Feik and Simon Hare, but still have more numbers and firepower than the Trojans.
Max Sanford highlighted the Wolves’ offense with two goals and an assist.
The forfeit may actually harm the Wolves when it comes to the district tourney, Breckenridge said, as their RPI rating may be affected by how the game is recorded.
Getting by the Riders
With both squads emptying their energy reserves trying to chase down a winner, Sequim senior striker Mekhi Ashby scored off a Preston Kurtze throw-in less with less than 10 minutes to play and the Wolves hung on for a 4-3 Rainshadow Rumble rivalry win over Port Angeles on April 16.
Kurtze added two first-half goals to put Sequim up 3-2 at halftime and give him four goals in the Wolves’ two Rainshadow Rumble wins over the Roughriders, the first a 4-2 win on March 14.
Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group / Sequim’s Guillermo Salgado, front, cuts in front of Port Angeles’ Grant Butterworth on April 16 in Port Angeles.
Ashby gathered in Kurtze’s throw on the left side of the goal box, took a couple of dribbles and made the turn to his right, getting enough juice on the ball to send it through the encircled arms of Port Angeles goalkeeper Jordan Saluskin and in for the eventual game-winning goal in the 72nd minute at Wally Sigmar Field at Peninsula College.
The play was set up by a Solas McGruther shot that clanged off the post and was cleared out of bounds by Port Angeles.
Port Angeles had opportunities to go up on the Wolves prior to Ashby’s goal and some chances to tie late, but couldn’t put together the scoring strike.
“Our back line did its job for the second half after cleaning up the diving they did in the first,” Breckenridge said. “Mekhi had a good game and found the net at the right time as well. Josh [Alcarez] also played well.”
Port Angeles found the net first in the 10th minute on a flicked header assist from Matthew Miller to Kanyon Anderson.
“Kanyon collected the flicked header in behind the Sequim defense at the top of the penalty box and lobbed his shot over Sequim goalie Nolan Valenzuela as he came out,” Riders coach Chris Saari said.
Sequim answered back in the 13th minute when Solas McGruther put a rebound shot past Port Angeles goalkeeper Jordan Saluskin. Finn Braaten set up the play when his shot was saved by Saluskin, but the ball trickled over to McGruther who scored from close range.
Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group / Sequim’s Max Stanford, left, dribbeles past Port Angeles’ Aurelio Wilson-Rojero on April 16 in Port Angeles.
Miller, Port Angeles’ leading scorer, notched a goal in the 23rd minute when he took an AJ Martinez pass and slipped the ball into goal for a 2-1 Riders’ lead.
“PA did what we expected,park the bus and run seven defenders and send long balls to Matthew, who I thought did a great job,” Breckenridge said.
“Kanyon also put the work in for them and as a result got him a point.”
Kurtze scored twice in the 29th and 30th minutes to wrest the momentum from the Riders.
“Preston! He was the difference maker,” Breckenridge said. “He flipped a switch.”
Ashby assisted on the first goal, running on to a loose ball in the Riders’ defensive half and finding Kurtze streaking up the left side. A few dribbles in toward goal and Kurtze shot hard to the near post.
Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group / Sequim’s Mekhi Ashby, right, fends off Port Angeles’ Grant Butterworth on April 16 at Peninsula College.
A minute later Kurtze made a couple of Rider defenders miss inside the box and put a quick shot to the upper left post for a 3-2 lead.
Port Angeles again knotted the score up in the 50th minute on Matthew Miller’s second goal of the game, a direct free kick that beat Valenzuela.
“All in all it was a challenging game and I’m glad to see PA put on a performance with such a young team and missing a few key players,” Breckenridge said.
Saari said his squad was disappointed with the loss but he thought his Riders had played their best game of the season and called the contest a “hard-fought, end-to-end battle.” He praised Miller’s play offensively as well as Grant Butterworth and Aurelio Wilson-Rojero defensively and Anderson, Curren Mehew and Oliver Martinez for their work in transition.
Looking ahead
Sequim was scheduled to play at league powerhouse North Kitsap on April 23; results were not available at press time.
The Wolves are at 3A Bainbridge on April 25.
“I’m very excited to face North Kitsap and Bainbridge,” Breckenridge said following the Olympic game. “The whole league, they have no idea what’s going on with us,” he said.
Sequim hosts Bremerton on April 30 and plays at Kingston on May 2.
