Unbeatable?

One hat trick in a game is a rare enough occurrence in soccer, a sport in which many games are decided with no more than three goals scored between two teams.p But on Thursday night, South Whidbey’s soccer road show kicked the odds as the Falcons’ top two varsity forwards — senior Claudia Gil-Osorio and sophomore Jenna Wild — chalked up three goals apiece in the second half of a 7-0 win over Lynden Christian.p In Lynden for what was originally scheduled to be a late-afternoon game, the 11-0 Falcons didn’t gain the upper foot in the contest until after they had used the first 45 minutes of play to exhaust the Lyncs. Going up 1-0 on an early goal by freshman midfielder Kelsey Kimmel, the Falcons were otherwise frustrated offensively in the first half — which was definitely something different after the team’s 7-1 win over 2002 state champion Sultan at home Tuesday.p At the top of their conference and three games out front of the other two 2002 state placers in the North Cascades Conference, Meridian and Blaine, the Falcons are looking unbeatable with three weeks of regular season play to go. All but three of their victories this season have been shutouts and only two games — a 3-2 win over Meridian on Sept. 9 and a 2-1 victory over Sultan on Sept. 11 — have come down to a single goal.p Summing up the week of play, Falcon coach Paul Arand gave Lynden Christian credit for holding up against his team’s one-two striker punch through the first half Thursday. He noted that the Falcons had to play some tough defense in the game, which was the only one this week to challenge South Whidbey goalkeeper Allyson Riggs. Riggs made two diving saves in the first half to hold the game to a shutout.p The game, which got a late start, ended when the last light faded from the sky because Lynden Christian does not have a lighted soccer field.p As for the Sultan game, Arand couldn’t explain the easy victory. By the end of the first half Tuesday, many of the Turk players were visibly out of breath and unable to keep up with the Falcons.p “Something’s not right there,” Arand said of the Turks, who he expected to be the team the Falcons had seen earlier in the season.p Against Sultan, Gil-Osorio also had a hat trick, her third of the season.p Next Tuesday, the Falcons may get a test when they meet Nooksack Valley at Waterman Field. The Pioneers beat Blaine this week, dumping the Borderites into a tie for second place in the NCC with Sultan.

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