South Whidbey drops district opener / Soccer

Lynden Christian handed the South Whidbey High School soccer team a 3-0 loss in the first round of the district tournament Monday, Oct. 28, on the Lync’s pitch.

Lynden Christian (9-6-1), the Northwest Conference’s top seed in the tournament, now faces King’s (13-4), the North Sound Conference’s top seed, in the championship match Saturday to determine the first two seeds into the bi-district tournament.

South Whidbey (13-2-1) hosts Granite Falls (9-7) Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the next round of the district tournament. The time is to be determined.

If the Falcons win, they will play the winner of Cedar Park Christian and Meridian at noon Saturday, Nov. 2, for third and fourth places.

If the Falcons lose to Granite Falls, they will face loser of the CPC/Meridian match at 10 a.m. Saturday for fifth and sixth places.

The top five teams qualify for bi-district.

In Monday’s match, Lynden Christian “closed quickly and were very good in transition,” South Whidbey coach Terry Swanson said,

The Lyncs scored their first goal with a header off a corner kick and led 1-0 at halftime.

Early in the second half, LC tallied off a through ball and then added their final goal on a penalty kick.

“This game challenged our players, and as coaches you often learn more about your team and players in defeat against a strong team than in victory,” Swanson said. “We will practice hard tomorrow and be ready to face Granite Falls at home. We still control our own destiny, and as a team we are used to playing and winning big playoff games.”