Boys’ soccer season ends with losses to Klahowya, Port Townsend

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Vashon High School Pirates met the Klahowya Eagles on Tuesday, May 10, at Silverdale Stadium, but came away with a loss.

Vashon put some initial pressure on, but the tide quickly turned and at the five-minute mark, the Eagles blasted through midfield and scored one. Vashon settled into the battle and survived a number of onslaughts before Luis Villasenor was called for a handball, just outside the box, on a “hamburger play,” where the ball was under no particular control. The Eagles forced a man into the end of Vashon’s “wall,” and when the Klahowya striker took the kick, he got all of it and then some, and the player in the wall ducked. The ball sailed through the hole in the wall and into the net.

Just a few minutes later, there was a foul called in the box, and a penalty kick was awarded. This was a disaster in the making, but Vashon’s senior keeper Brett Beardsley came up with yet another penalty kick save. Even the Eagles parents applauded this play.

It was a rough game. Christian White went down with a redo of a large turf rash injury and Alden Hinden was struck by a fist in the eye and was out for the game — some people would call that a punch, but the referee did not.

Vashon managed to hold on to a two-goal deficit until late in the second half. Another foul was awarded at the center of the top of the box, and this time it went to the side of the wall and was deflected in for the third goal.

The game ended 3-0 in favor of the Eagles.

Two days later, Vashon met Port Townsend in a win-or-go home game. Zane Bork, Hinden, and Luis Eicher-Lyons were all unavailable, and all had played key roles this year. Senior Bernard Cowen was banged up badly on Tuesday, but he was on the field. Port Townsend looked fresh, though they were coming off a 7-1 beating on Tuesday at the hands of Charles Wright (who Vashon beat 1-0 at home recently).

Vashon dominated possession early, but there was sloppy play on both sides of the ball. Halftime ended knotted up at zeroes.

Voice of Vashon’s broadcast wheels were a bit bumpy, and technical difficulties found the crew scrambling to get the broadcast going after halftime. Before they could get back on the air, Port Townsend scored.

With the wind at Port Townsend’s back, it seemed to tip the field downhill for them. Eventually on a long ball over the top to Port Townsend’s Beshir Little, he drove it into the corner of the net, just off the fingertips of keeper Beardsley’s diving save. At that point, the wheels came off. Port Townsend added to the tally with about 15 minutes left in the game, and Vashon just couldn’t muster much of a response. The game ended 3-0. The season, and a bit of an era, ended with nine seniors playing their last game together: Luis Villasenor, Gabe Reoux, Bohdin Mozeleski, Tom Dunn, Nathan Anderson, Brett Beardsley, Bernard Cowen, Rodolfo Flores and Anthony Gateman.

— Greg Martin is the father of two high

school athletes.