SEQUIM — Port Angeles showed off its offensive quality and held Sequim off the scoreboard in a 3-0 Rainshadow Rumble girls soccer victory Saturday.
“I thought the girls played really well,” Roughriders coach Scott Moseley said. “They always face a tough opponent in Sequim and for the [Olympic] League opener, the second game of the season, they really put it together and scored three really nice goals.”
Port Angeles opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Freshman forward Baillee Larson played the ball to sophomore Millie Long along the left side of the end line and Long was able to send a curling strike to the upper corner of the goal from a difficult left-to-right angle.
The Riders added to their lead just before halftime in the 40th minute. Freshman Catie Brown drew a foul about 35 yards from the Sequim goal and junior Delaney Wenzl stepped up to take the free kick.
Wenzl had powered an earlier free kick through the goal box but took a little heat off the fastball this time around, lofting the ball in toward goal where classmate Brooklyn Alton was there to knock in the second goal and put Port Angeles up 2-0.
“She placed it perfectly to hit it over to the corners and Brooklyn finished it nicely,” Moseley said.
“Just had to calm down a bit,” Wenzl said of her second free kick.
“We started off a little slow, but as the game continued we just grew and were able to connect on our passes better which is good against a good opponent. They definitely have a good defensive line and their strikers are good at making runs and we just did a really good job of holding them.”
The Riders came out in the second half and held form — important after allowing three second-half goals after going to the break up 3-0 in their season opening win against Vashon.
“We talked about [not letting up] at halftime, because last year at home they were up 2-0 and we came back and got three [goals], so we just made sure that didn’t happen to us this time,” Wenzl said.
Port Angeles senior Kyrsten McGuffey added an insurance goal in the 69th minute when she was able to head the ball over a diving Sequim goalkeeper Olivia Hare.
“That was a pretty brave goal going into the keeper to get a head on it,” Moseley said. “But that’s what you need. That’s the difference between, ‘Oh, good try’ and us going up 3-0 and the game is over.”
Moseley also liked what he saw from his four freshmen.
“Our four freshmen did great,” Moseley said. “Catie and Bailee worked hard up front,
Teagen [Clark] did great at the back, they were matching one of their better players [Hope Glasser] against her. And Mia Gagnon did well in the midfield.”
Hare played well in goal for the Wolves, with a couple of point-blank saves.
“Today wasn’t our day, but I think Olivia, our keeper did a great job.” Sequim coach Derek Vandervelde said. “I thought Hope Glasser did a great job, Natalya James settled down and was defending tightly.
“A lot of teams will shut down if the opponent scores a couple of goals and the girls didn’t do that, they never quit.”
Port Angeles (1-0-0, 2-0-0) hosts Kingston on Tuesday.
Sequim (0-1-0, 0-2-1) visits Bremerton on Tuesday.
