After a half-hour delay due to inclement weather, the Vashon Island High School Pirates girls varsity soccer game began with a slippery start last Tuesday, Oct. 8, against the Cascade Christian Cougars.

Wet turf had both teams moving cautiously and sliding around the field. The Pirates won possession at the whistle, with junior forward Payton Venturi going in for the first attempt on the goal just seconds after kickoff. The ball immediately found its way down the field with the Cougars rushing in, pulling junior keeper Tamsen Henry out of the box.

Sophomore Phoebe Wilke swooped in behind Henry and saved the attempt from hitting the inside of the net. Wilke continued to shine as one of the Pirates’ star defensive players, consistently quick to win the ball. It soon looked obvious this was going to be a neck-and-neck game.

There was continued back and forth play and clean passing demonstrated by both teams throughout the match. The Pirates’ entire defensive line routinely stopped the Cougars from finishing their shots, consistently feeding the ball forward. Stand-out players freshman Vera Moses, sophomore Lucy Wing and senior Olivia London never let up pressure against Cascade’s offense. Senior forward Sydnee Adams scored a hat-trick, sinking three goals in the net, one in the first half, and two in the second. Junior mid-fielder Corrine Ryan had a beautiful header, putting another point on the board for Vashon in the second half making for an exciting 4-3 victory against Cascade Christian, and officially becoming number one in the league.

– Karson Brown is the mother of a Pirate soccer player.