After a slow start, the South Whidbey soccer team dominated Lakewood in a rain-dampened game Tuesday evening on the Falcon pitch.
The Cougars went home with an embarrassing 9-2 loss hanging over their heads, while the Falcons likely secured a playoff spot, according to coach John Gerlach.
The win improved South Whidbey’s record to 7-3 in Cascade League play, behind first place Archbishop Murphy and second place Cedarcrest with only four games remaining in the season.
“We’re third, but we’ve got to play’em both,” Gerlach said, referring to the league’s top two teams. But he expressed confidence that South Whidbey will make at playoffs.
The Falcons played last night at Coupeville in a grudge match set up earlier in the season when the Wolves upset the Falcons in a 1-0 shootout win. Gerlach doesn’t like the shootout in regular season play, saying the game should have gone on the books as a tie, as is tradition in soccer. “The league feels there has to be a winner, I just don’t agree,” said Gerlach, who is in his 11th year at the helm of the Falcon squad.
Lakewood looked fairly good early in Tuesday’s game, actually taking a 1-0 lead after about 8 minutes of play when a Cougar hooked the ball high into the net from near the sideline. “It was a good shot,” acknowledged Gerlach. “My goalie’s good but he can’t fly.” Lakewood managed another goal later, marking the first time the Falcons have given up two goals this season.
The first goal seemed to awaken the Falcons, who had dominated early in the shot category but couldn’t hit the net, going wide left, wide right, and hitting the top crossbar. But if the Cougars were using Star Trek deflector shields to protect their goal, they soon lost power and there was nothing Scotty could do about it. With the shields down, the Falcons romped to victory.
Noah Moeller scored first for South Whidbey and went on to achieve the rare “hat trick” of three goals in game. “He got a breakaway and finished with a solid shot,” Gerlach said.
But the coach appreciated later goals more, as the Falcons put on a display of offensive and defensive teamwork. Goals were scored after three or four passes, and defensively the Cougars got off very few shots against the smothering South Whidbey defense.
South Whidbey’s scoring was shared in the blowout, with Sam Turpin adding 2 goals, Stephen Lyons 2, Jimmy Price 1 and River Ellis 1.
Monday, the Falcons will be tested in a home match against Cedarcrest at 6 p.m. Wednesday they play at King’s and the regular season ends Friday, April 27, when league leader Archbishop Murphy visits the Falcon pitch.
