Sequim’s girls soccer squad last week earned a pair of key league wins in preparation for a tough stretch of games, with striker Taryn Johnson setting a school record in the process.
Johnson, a junior, set the Wolves’ mark for career goals after tallying two scores against Kingston and a five-goal eruption in an 11-1 rout of North Mason.
Playing at Kingston on Oct. 4, Sequim (5-3 in league and overall) put a slow first half behind them with a pair of goals in the second half to beat the cellar-dwelling Buccaneers.
“[In the] first half we started out a little slow and disconnected,” Garling said. “Kingston put numbers in the middle, and we weren’t using our width to spread the field.
Sequim drew a penalty kick just after the break in the 42nd minute.
“Jenny Gomez made a great move to beat their central defender, then controlled the ball around the keeper and in the process she got fouled,” Garling said. “Taryn Johnson stepped up and buried the PK.”
Garling said the Wolves were able to string together possession and passes and set up an insurance goal in the 63rd minute off of a corner kick.
“Raimey Brewer put in the corner, a scrum resulted and Taryn got on the end of it and was able to poke it in,” Garling said. “At that point, we were able to rest some starters and play some reserves and keep the clean sheet.”
Two days later, Johnson notched her second five-goal game of the season as the Wolves earned a 3-1 lead by halftime and poured it on after the break.
Johnson notched goals in the fifth minute and broke a 1-1 tie with a 23rd minute goal off an Ivy Barrett cross.
Outside back Alex Salas also was rewarded in the 25th minute after a long run up the left side to put Sequim up 3-1 at halftime, launching a looping left-footed shot over the Bulldog keeper.
Raimey Brewer (assisted by Libby Turella) and Jenny Gomez (Johnson) added to the Wolves’ advantage in the 46th and 49th minutes.
Johnson also found the net three times in six minutes after the break, scoring in the 56th, 57th (Laila Sundin) and the 62nd (Kiley Winters) minute.
Brewer added her second goal in the 66th, Kaia Lestage sent in a high, arching shot from about 30 yards in the 74th and Ivy Barrett (Eve Breithaupt) closed out the rout with a 79th minute score.
“We really stuck to our game plan and did what we do best, move the ball and wore them down,” Garling said.
“After halftime we were off and running and put up some good quality shots and scored eight goals. The reward of wearing down a team, they started chasing, so we started cycling and we put crosses in and it translated to goals.”
Garling also substituted starters and moved players to different positions with the game well out of reach.
Coming up
Sequim was slated to host rival Port Angeles on Oct. 11 — results were not available at press time.
The Wolves are at Olympic on Oct. 13 before hosting North Kitsap on Oct. 18 and Bainbridge on Oct. 20.
Sequim is as Bremerton on Oct. 25 before closing the regular season at home against Kingston.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Kiley Winter (8) looks for teammate Laila Sundin in the Wolves’ 11-1 win over North Mason on Oct. 6.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Libby Turella gets her head on the ball in the first half of the Wolves’ 11-1 rout of North Mason on Oct. 6.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Alex Salas, right, maintains possession in the first half of Sequim’s 11-1 win over the visiting North Mason Bulldogs on Oct. 6. After a couple of near scores, Salas had a long, left-footed score that put Sequim up 3-1 in the first half.
