Sequim Gazette staff
In the thick of the playoff race, the Wolves soccer squad split two games last week to hold on to fourth place in the Olympic League.
Sequim had enough scoring power to outlast the Klahowya Eagles (4-8, 12 points) 2-1 on April 16. Brandon Payne scored in the fourth minute with an assist from Omar Flores. The Eagles countered with a goal by Casey Sargent seven minutes later.
Nick Baird kept Sequim’s lead strong 25 minutes in with another goal (assist Mason Barrett).
Sequim head coach Dave Brasher said the score could have been much more than 2-1.
“We missed a few opportunities,” he said.
The Bremerton Knights (4-8, 13 points) forced another tight game April 18 in Sequim as they overtook the Wolves 3-2.
Brasher said Sequim started slow and the Knights counterattacked the Wolves’ aggressiveness to score two goals in the first half. But the Wolves fought back with two goals by Payne.
Brasher said Royhon Agostine created the first goal after seeing an opportunity to advance and was tripped, resulting in Payne’s penalty kick. Agostine later assisted Payne’s second goal 72 minutes in.
But Bremerton overcame the tie, scoring with three minutes to go.
Brasher commended freshman goalie Austin Wagner for several saves.
“It could have been three or four nothing early on,” he said.
“He’s doing well. I didn’t know what to expect. He’s got a lot to learn still. The one they scored at the end, he might have been able to get to with a little bit more experience but he’s doing really well for a freshman.”
Sequim finishes its season with games in Port Townsend on April 23; at home against North Mason on April 30; at Olympic on May 2; and at home against North Kitsap on May 6.
Injuries at this part of the season are common, Brasher said, and he’s observing Flores for an injury from last week, but he anticipates the rest of the team will be good to go.
Sequim sits in fourth place and the top five teams advance to the playoffs. The fifth-place team would have to play another league’s fifth-place team to advance.
“We reasonably have a chance to win two out of four, but it’d be nice to win three out of four,” Brasher said of the remaining games.
