Varsity Soccer On a Roll

On April 20, The VHS varsity boys’ soccer team continued their shutout streak and the VHS junior varsity boys’ soccer team made their season debut against Seattle Christian.

Junior varsity (JV) kicked off at McMurray later than anticipated, after Seattle Christian missed the ferry. JV tied the match 2-2, with both Vashon goals scored by junior Ryder Jones.

At 5:45 p.m., Seattle Christian kicked off against the varsity team. Vashon established control of the game from the get-go. Only three minutes in, a series of give-and-go passes between senior Jakob Heuschert, junior Levi Stahl, and junior Jaimie Peredya and a low, hard shot aimed for the corner by Heuschert resulted in a goal for Vashon.

Four minutes passed before Vashon scored again. Heuschert played a through ball from the 50-yard line to senior Zach Van Dusen on the right wing who had a breakaway run — he took a shot that sailed past Seattle Christian’s keeper making the score 2-0.

In the 15th minute, Heuschert “stepped into another gear” (as described by a VoV announcer) in a breakaway on the left wing, single-handedly scoring another goal. Then he scored yet again, 10 minutes later, from just inside the right side of the penalty box — a goal assisted by sophomore Nick Zuckerman.

Vashon kept the ball nearly entirely in Seattle Christian’s defensive half. Stahl scored another goal for Vashon just under 30 minutes into the game. But Vashon would score again before the whistle blew for halftime — Heuschert scored his final goal just ninety seconds after Stahl, bringing the score to 6-0. The score would stay 6-0 for the remainder of the half. Seattle Christian continued to get out-played and Vashon continued to dominate.

Vashon drew a corner, which Heuschert took, placing a ball where senior Ethan McIntyre was perfectly positioned to volley it into the goal with the inside of his foot.

Just over 10 minutes later, McIntyre scored again. As the clock wound down, so did the energy of both the players and spectators, as in no way were the teams evenly matched and therefore neither team was competitively fulfilled. Vashon put in one more goal in the back of the net when junior Bellamy Cox took a free kick 20 yards out from the end line on Seattle Christian’s half.

Stahl, sophomore Moses Trundle, and Seattle Christian defenders were all positioned to head the ball and it is not clear who ultimately scored. It was either Trundle or an own goal by Seattle Christian. Vashon ended the game with a 9-0 victory over Seattle Christian.

A score differed from the outcome of the Vashon-Life Christian away game that took place the following Thursday, on April 22.

The VHS varsity boys’ soccer team faced Life Christian Academy in one of the most competitive games they’ve had this season. As they were playing in Pierce County (which is still in Phase 2), players took to the field masked, though many Life Christian players had their masks pulled down.

Vashon had kickoff and had goal-scoring opportunities within minutes, but Life Christian was the first to score. Just four minutes in, Life Christian drew a foul 20 yards out from Vashon’s goal. The play following resulted in a penalty kick which Life Christian blasted past Vashon’s keeper, junior Evan Keppler — a call that both the Vashon bench and the fans deemed incorrect.

Vashon played catch-up the remainder of the half. In the 36th minute, just moments before the whistle, senior Chris Fontina took a throw at the 30-yard line, delivering his signature arcing ball that made its way into the goal box. It appeared that multiple Vashon and Life Christian players, including Life Christian’s keeper, got a touch on the ball before it rolled into the back of the net. The center referee called the goal, which Vashon celebrated, and both teams lined up at the 50-yard line.

They were all set to restart play when the center referee consulted with both of his assistant referees and called back the goal, citing that the ball was scored directly off of Fontina’s throw-in, which is illegal in the game of soccer. Vashon players were visibly frustrated as they walked off the field for halftime.

Vashon started the second half as underdogs with something to prove.

Just three minutes in, Heuschert received the ball at the top of the penalty box and drove forward towards goal — beating countless Life Christian defenders before slipping a shot past the keeper, making the score finally 1-1. As the half continued Vashon’s defense held strong with sophomore Oliver Churchill, Peredya and Stahl in the backline.

Vashon’s offense also didn’t let up, which paid off — Van Dusen scored in the 26th minute with an assist from Heuschert. Only minutes later, Van Dusen scored yet again, bringing the score to 3-1, off of a Fontina throw-in from the 30-yard line. Zuckerman scored one final goal for Vashon in the last minutes of the game, securing a solid win.

After a rocky start, Vashon walked off the field victorious. The VHS varsity boys’ soccer team had games Monday and Wednesday before press time and will have their next game at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, at Cascade Christian.

Lila Cohen, student

Track and Field team members achieve

On April 23, the Pirates Track and Field team took their one and only road trip of the season to Charles Wright Academy high school.

The girls’ team placed third out of seven other teams with 130 team points. The boys’ team placed fifth overall with 63.5 team points. Individually, several Pirates found top places in this meet. For the girls, Freshman, Alana Bass took first in the 100 meters in 13.34. Junior Isabella Sanson-Frey placed third in the 100 meters with a time of 13.54. Bass also took first place in the long jump measured at 14’10”.

Freshman Madeline Yarkin placed second in the 1600 in 5:42 and also placed second in the 800 meters in 2:50. The girls’ 4 x 100, consisting of Phoebe Wilke, Payton Venturi, Isabella Sanson-Frey, and Alana Bass took first place with a time of 52.48.

In the Javelin, Senior, Isabella Mediavilla took first with a throw of 91’-1” — followed by her teammate Iota Pactkau in third place with a throw of 77’2”. The trio of Caitlin Jeffcoat, Indigo Assink, and Nicki Becker all juniors tied for first overall in the high jump with a leap of 4’8”. On the boys’ side, Senior Ursa Medeiros placed second in the 1600 with a time of 5:02, Medeiros also placed second in the discus with a throw of 87’3” and Junior Levi Blasingim took fourth in the 3200 meters in 12:33.

Junior Alec Pottinger finished third in the shot put with a throw of 34’7” Freshman, Miles Clark placed fourth in the triple jump at 33’7”. Junior George Murphy took first in the high jump as he cleared the bar with a leap of 5’4”.

The next meet will take place on May 1, with Port Townsend making their first trip to Vashon for Track and Field since 2004. There will be seven other teams competing as well at VHS with the action starting at noon. Vashon will be host the Nisqually League championship meet on May 8. — Kevin Ross, VHS Assistant Track and Field coach