By HANS VAN DUSEN
For The Beachcomber
The Vashon High School girls’ soccer team is in the midst of a playoff run. The West Central District tournament kicked off last weekend, as the Pirates took on the Coupeville Wolves of Whidbey and produced a dominating 3-0 Vashon win.
In its second game, on Tuesday, Vashon traveled to the top-seeded Seattle Christian Warriors but the outcome came after the press deadline.
In the Saturday win over Coupeville, Vashon displayed its trademark strong passing and ball control, keeping nearly all the action in the Coupeville half of the field.
“We played incredibly well, keeping possession for most of the match and challenging Coupeville’s keeper, who was outstanding in the goal,” said coach Karen Olsen. “I am pleased with the results and the style of soccer the girls played.”
For the playoffs, Olsen had looked to boost the potency of the Pirate attackers, after Vashon invaders had been held scoreless in their last two regular season games. In a tactical shift for Saturday, the Pirates featured Mira Jewel-Peterson as an additional third striker, moved up from her usual holding midfield post.
The realignment appears to have paid off with Jewel-Peterson featured in all three Vashon goals. She opened the scoring herself with a quick redirection over the Coupeville keeper from a nearby cross from Emily Brown. Later in first half, Jewel-Peterson took advantage of a Wolves’ defensive error and supported on an opportunistic goal by Baily Ormsby, who had pulled up to from left defense to midfield at that point of the game.
Throughout the game, the Pirates featured strong performances on the wings, repeatedly pushing the ball up outside with strong combination runs from left back and left midfielder Ormsby and game MVP Camille Deguzeman, which were matched by equally impressive runs by right back and right midfielder, Lauren Jenks and Anna de Guzman.
In recognizing de Guzman as game MVP, Olsen had high praise.
“Camille really stood out, with great ball control and terrific passes, creating our opportunities to score, as well as supporting the defense when necessary. Overall, Camille played her best soccer,” she said.
Throughout the second half, the Pirates’ offense tested the talented Coupeville goalie, including a number of strong outside shots by senior center-midfielder Brown. The Pirates finally capped off their scoring with a blistering shot, high and wide, by striker Hannah Van Dusen, on another excellent feed by Jewel-Peterson, who escaped a few Wolves tight against their backline and found Van Dusen at the top the penalty box.
Next up, the Pirates will likely play an away game Thursday and potentially could play Saturday to finish out the district post-season tournament. A first- or second-place finish in districts would send Vashon to the state tournament next week.
— Hans Van Dusen is the father of a Pirate soccer player
