By ALAN ZOLTIE
For The Beachcomber
The 2015 varsity girls soccer season began on Sept. 8, when the Vashon Pirates traveled to Lindbergh Senior High at Renton Stadium. In front of about 100 spectators, the Pirates put on an incredible display that saw them reap 80 percent of the total possession and dominate the game from start to finish, only to end up tying 1-1. There were close calls for several of the Pirate forwards in the first 30 minutes with Ana de Guzman going close after a great through ball from Lauren Jenks.
Finally in the 36th minute, after a pass by Aimee Olson that split the Lindbergh defense, Maren Fremstad stepped up and blasted the ball past the opposing goalkeeper for the opening goal. It was nothing more than the Pirates deserved, having controlled the first half with relentless possession and attacking pressure. The second half started in a similar vein with Vashon dominating and peppering the Lindbergh goalie with shot after shot, twenty in total, but without that cutting edge finish that would have secured a win and all three points.
With six minutes to play, Lindbergh took advantage of some sloppy Pirate defensive play and managed to bundle in an equalizing goal from 8 yards out. It was, in the end, a result that flattered the home team and one that Vashon with their total domination and some star performances from Camille de Guzman and Grace Riggs, hardly deserved.
The following evening at Vashon High School, the Pirates took on Chief Sealth International High School. Again the Pirates dominated play and with six minutes gone, it was Fremstad, with her second goal of this new season, who put the Pirates in front. The remainder of the first half saw total domination by a Pirate offense that just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net thanks to some incredible goal tending by the opposing keeper. The second half, however, saw the Pirates increase their lead to 3 -0 with goals from Katherine Andrus and Repeka Lematua, before the visitors replied with a late penalty kick and another goal from a disputed corner kick. All in all it was a totally satisfying performance by a Vashon team led by some outstanding play from Madison Browne and Ana de Guzman. And so it was on to Saturday’s game in Olympia against Capital High School at the newly refurbished Ingersol Stadium. In searing heat, which topped 90 degrees, the Pirates fell behind to a penalty kick in the first minute of the contest, but recovered well to even the score with a great opportunistic effort by Mira Peterson, after a great through ball by Bailey Ormsby. Vashon then took the lead after the same duo combined yet again, with Peterson bundling the ball over the Capital goal line to surprise the hosts. That triggered Capital into life and after scoring six straight goals, four in the first half and two in the second, Andrus popped up to score her second goal of the season to make the final score 7-3 Capital. There were some outstanding Vashon performances, but the heat and the fact that the Pirates were missing some key players due to injury, made for a scoreline that flattered the hosts.
Vashon’s next four games will be at home beginning today, Sept. 16, against Hazen High School. On Thursday the team will take on Bonney Lake High School; on Saturday they face off against Issaquah High School, and next Tuesday they compete against the Charles Wright Academy. Evening games begin at 6 p.m., and Saturday’s game begins at 1 p.m. at the high school stadium.
— Alan Zoltie is the assistant VHS girls’ soccer coach.
