If prior to last week Pirate folklore had not documented double rainbows and full moons having an effect on sports battles, now it has. To the delight of fans, last Tuesday’s girls soccer game had both of those visual treats, while down on the pitch the Pirates plundered their foe, the Cascade Christian Cougars, 5-1.

The team followed the home win with two more away game victories last week — an 11-0 rout of Chimacum on Thursday and a 7-1 win over Foster High School on Friday.

The Oct. 11 contest between Vashon and Cascade Christian had been anticipated with concern because at their first meeting earlier this season Vashon had struggled to come away with only a 1-0 victory. In this rematch, Vashon came on strong from the outset.

Leading off the attack, Lena DeGuzman launched a high cannonball of a shot from 35 yards out that was in flight for a solid two seconds. The goalie waved in desperation as the ball sailed over her hands and into the net.

DeGuzman nailed the shot, and the trajectory of the ball was perfectly aligned with the fan’s perspective from the stands, so for soccer enthusiasts in attendance it was truly a thing of beauty.

Keeping the pressure on in the 25th minute, sophomore forward Llira McEachern pounded in a skipping grounder from the right side at the edge of the penalty area. The ball crossed the face of the goal, under the diving goalie and hit deep in the far corner of the net.

The shots that finally sank the ship for the Cougars can technically be referred to as a “perfect hat trick.” More than just three goals scored by one player in a game, it is specifically a left foot and right foot shot and a header, each for a score. On Vashon it’s called a “Cat trick,” in honor of Cat Amick, who had picture perfect shots, one of each variety to make the last home game for the Pirate seniors one for the record books.

Cascade Christian did manage to sneak in one goal for the match, but Vashon dominated the game defensively, with their fullbacks usually up close to midfield.

One instance that brought the crowd to life was a breakthrough run by one of the Cougars who had the ball on an amazingly fast dribble deep into Pirate territory. Scrambling to stop the run was freshman Mykah Shiosaki, a center back who ran down the intruder, stole the ball in a sprint and turned it back upfield. The fans loved it and erupted in whoops and cheers of joy. One would have thought the honor of the Pirate code had been saved, and the game ended with a Vashon win, 5-1.

It was a show of skill and teamwork for the Pirates, who provided a fine sendoff with flowers and gifts for their seniors and buried a pot of golden memories under the rainbow at Vashon stadium.

— Bill Griffith is the father of a Vashon soccer player.