Blue Devils soccer team shows strength

Now near the end of a five-month season, the girls on the U-13 Blue Devils soccer team built nearly half a year of play on a single win in September.

A month-and-a-half ago, the girls on the Gold Division South Whidbey team learned how to work under pressure during two early season tournaments. Traveling to Federal Way for the Blast Off tournament, the Blue Devils won three games to reach the event final against the Extreme Cougars of Federal Way. After tying 1-1 in regulation, the Whidbey girls lost the game in a sudden death overtime.

With that in mind, the Blue Devils played their way to the top of a the Sky River Tournament in Monroe a week later. In the championship game, they faced another extreme team, Monroe Extreme. Still smarting from a 5-1 loss to the same team earlier in the season, the Blue Devils hardened their defense to take the game to a 1-1 tie. After weathering two overtimes, the Blue Devils won the game by outscoring the Extreme 2-1 in a shootout.

Since that championship, the team has built a 3-4-2 record and is looking for a few more wins in its final three games.

The team’s coach, Julie Julison, said much of the team’s strength lies in its goalkeepers — Amelia Cave and Josette Serrill — and in defenders Amy Pfeiffer, Jennifer Shafer, Hillary Dealy Thompson and Caitilynn Larmore.

Producing points on offense are Lauren Sandri, Danielle Julison, Anna Schmidtt, Hope Richards, Elizabeth Dealy Thompson, Jessica Winn, Nicole Falso, Katy Gordon, Emily Grove and Marijane Dauman.

The team’s season ends on Dec. 8. The team’s last home game is Dec. 1 at 11:30 p.m. at South Whidbey Community Park.

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