The last two weeks brought the Vashon Pirates’ boys varsity soccer team more dominating victories against Nisqually 1A opponents and their first loss of the season — a humbling lesson that will ultimately serve them as they gear up for their still-promising run at a state title.

Vashon first travelled to Klahowya on Thursday, April 24, and, as expected, dusted the Eagles off 10-0, putting on possibly their best attacking performance of the season. Every attacker seemed to be on form for the Pirates, with Joni Respighi, Mason Haynes, Lewis Thompson, and Rowan Marceau Roache all showing the gap in class between them and the Klahowya defenders. Ultimately, Marceau-Roache dazzled the most, earning him Man of the Match.

Two days later, the Bellevue Christian Vikings proved similarly tame, with the Pirates coasting into a 7-0 victory. None of the Vashon players ever had to leave third gear, but Isaac Newcomb’s work rate on and off the ball made him the best candidate for Man of the Match.

The following week was all about Cascade Christian. Even with a match against Charles Wright on Tuesday, April 29, the Pirates specifically trained for the Cougars, practicing for long balls and quick counter-attacks. Vashon brushed Charles Wright aside 5-0, with Lewis Thompson securing Man of the Match, and then it was time for the Cougars.

This year, Cascade Christian looks to be fielding their best team of the last decade, and the Pirates only barely scraped a win off them in early April. Not only was Cascade Christian incredibly strong, but the fact that Vashon had barely beaten them in their previous encounter — and that it was senior night — made Thursday’s match the most anticipated of the year.

Vashon started the game off strong, working the ball well down the right-hand side and getting a lot of good crosses into the box, with one finding Lewis Thompson at the edge of the six-yard box — but he couldn’t keep his effort below the bar.

The best early chance, however, came for Cascade Christian 13 minutes in when senior Josiah Gopaul effortlessly danced past Vashon left back Oskar Cobbmeigetter and fired his shot past goalkeeper Ozzie Tanner and off the post. The Cougars hit the frame of the goal again six minutes later.

This time, it was not quite as big of a chance, as Gopaul made a beautiful backheel pass to Cascade Christian junior Jose Nobrega. Nobrega dribbled down the left-hand side and floated a shot towards goal, where it ended up hitting the top of the crossbar and going out for a goal kick.

The next ten minutes were cagey, with plenty of fouls and few clear-cut chances created by either side — that is, until Vashon broke the deadlock 26 minutes in when Joni Respighi burst down the right-hand side and slid the ball across to Rowan Marceau-Roache, who continued his hot streak by tucking it home to make it 1-0. The game slowed down a bit after that, and the Pirates took their 1-0 lead into the halftime interval.

Cascade Christian came out of the break with renewed energy and a tactical change. Instead of hanging back and waiting for Vashon to make a mistake, the Cougars took it to the Pirates, physically dominating Vashon in the midfield. This paid dividends as, not five minutes in, Carson Bloomstine launched a free kick into the Pirates’ box which found its way to Solomon Leamann, who had all the time in the world to place it past goalkeeper Nelson and square the game at one a piece.

That was all the motivation the Cougars needed: Cascade Christian bullied the Pirates in the midfield, cutting off all the passing lanes and preventing Vashon from using its greatest strength — short passing — and not five minutes after Leamann made it 1-1, the Cougars struck paydirt again.

Cascade Christian senior Kyle Hughes launched a long throw-in into the Pirates’ 18-yard box, and after a poor attempt at clearing the ball out, it fell to Jose Nobrega at the top of the box, who picked his head up and guided his shot past Nelson and into the far corner to bring the game to 2-1.

The individual talent of the players created some chances for Vashon, but nothing troubled the Cougars, who seemingly had the game firmly in hand since the start of the second half. With 15 minutes to go, the Pirates began to resort to long balls to try and force an equalizer.

But sending everyone forward backfired on Vashon, as freshman Ezekiel Gopaul received a through ball and chipped it over the keeper Tanner to seal it for Cascade Christian, 3-1. This was the only goal that Tanner conceded in goal due to Nelson only playing for around 20 minutes. That, and a couple of other great saves, earned Tanner a very well-deserved first Man of the Match of the season.

It was by far the worst performance of the season by the Pirates. The first two goals were near carbon copies of each other — two long balls into the box, two failed clearances, and two Cascade Christian players given all the time in the world to pick their spot. Vashon’s defense looked shambolic, unable to track runners or deal with second balls.

For a team that had looked so assured of themselves for most of the season, the Pirates suddenly looked lost, with defenders slow to react and no one stepping up to clear their lines. The lack of urgency and communication at the back proved costly, as the Cougars punished the Pirates for their hesitation and disarray.

Despite their defensive woes, the biggest issue for Vashon came in the midfield, where they were simply outworked. The Cougars had found the crack in the Pirates’ armor and hammered away at it. No matter what configuration Coach Thomas tried, the work rate and understanding of what made Vashon strong meant that the Pirates never really got back in it.

This was the last time the Pirates could afford to lose, and by all appearances, it was only due to the other team wanting it more. Though the Cougars taught Vashon a harsh lesson, it was one the Pirates needed to learn. Vashon didn’t know what to do once they were losing and started panicking after the second goal went in.

If the Pirates learn from their mistakes, they’ll be better equipped to face the Cougars in the upcoming district tournament — and whatever follows at state.

The Pirates have two regular season games left this week: An away game against Seattle Christian on Tuesday, May 6 (after The Beachcomber’s print deadline) and an away game against Life Christian on Thursday, May 8 — kickoff at 2:30 p.m. All matches are broadcast on KVSH-LP 101.9 FM Voice of Vashon or voiceofvashon.org.

Oscar Lopez is an island sportswriter, a senior at Vashon High School, and a Voice of Vashon commentator for the island’s soccer teams.