Some early season R&R might help the Lady Wolves soccer team (1-1 in the Olympic League and 2-1 overall) in the long run following a string of injuries, says head coach Victor Lancheros.
The girls had a Thursday game day off on Sept. 18 following a tough loss on Sept. 16 to Olympic League powerhouse the Klahowya Eagles (5-0 overall as of Tuesday, Sept. 23).
The Eagles’ Izzy Severns scored three goals, including one in the first minute, and McKenzie Cook had two goals and one assist against the Wolves in the 6-1 win.
Sequim senior Maeve Harris scored the Wolves’ lone goal in the 87th minute, with an assist from Abigail Jaeger. It was the first time a team scored against the Eagles so far this season.
One big disadvantage for the Wolves, Lancheros said, was that they were playing without substitutes due to injuries.
“We only have eight in decent shape,” he said.
Sequim fell behind two goals within five minutes, which Lancheros said was due to nerves.
“(Klahowya) is known for playing good soccer,” he said. “The kids at the beginning might have been a little intimidated.”
By the end of the first half, Sequim was down 5-0.
“In the first half we tried to pick it up little by little but in the second half that’s when we started to play our game.”
The Eagles were held to only one goal in the second half, another early goal by Severns at 47 minutes, and Harris scored for the Wolves 40 minutes later.
Since the loss, Lancheros said the days off have been great and the the girls have been resting some. His plan is to bring up a few substitutes from the JV squad.
“Right now it’s a matter of getting healthy,” he said.
“It’s going to be interesting. We’re going to come out ahead. I think it’s going to be completely different from here on out.”
To prevent more injuries, JV coach Julie Lancheros said all the girls will be doing exercises that work a variety of muscles to avoid nagging injuries.
The Wolves hosted Kingston on Tuesday (2-1, 2-2), look for an update online, and travel to Port Angeles (2-0, 2-0) on Thursday, Sept. 25.
