BREMERTON — Port Angeles sophomore Matthew Miller notched a first-half brace and the Roughriders held the line defensively to snap a 10-game losing streak with a 2-1 win at Olympic on the Trojans’ senior night Tuesday.
The scores were Miller’s 18th and 19th goals of the season.
“This win was monumental for the team,” Miller said. We’re starting a new chapter for this young squad. We look forward to continue this momentum into our next games.”
Olympic scored off a rebound in the eighth minute.
“The Trojans scored first on a shot to the near post that ricocheted off Riders goalie Kevin Royack and the post,” coach Chris Saari said. “The ball bounced off the post and went across the mouth of the goal before it was knocked in by Olympic.”
Miller tied it in the 25th minute.
“He took a pass from A.J. Martinez and beat several Trojans players, dribbling on the end line to the left of the goal,” Saari said. “As the goalie came out to cut off the angle, Miller managed to slot the ball past him low and to the corner.”
Oliver Martinez was the distributor on Miller’s second strike in the 38th minute.
“Miller took a pass from Oliver Martinez and again beat several Trojan defenders in the right side of the penalty box,” Saari said. “As the keeper came out, Matthew slotted a deft touch with his right foot to the far post that put the Riders in front just before halftime.”
The Riders’ defense held the Trojans scoreless in the second half. Sophomore goalie Kevin Royack came up big late on a few key saves to preserve the win. Grant Butterworth and Taihvan Lyle both had solid games defensively for the Riders, Saari said.
“They both were going to the ball and getting there first on headers and breaking up plays,” he said.
“We found a way to make it interesting at the end, but Kevin Royack made a few huge saves to preserve the win,” Saari said. “Losing 10 in a row was a tough spell to go through and I’m glad the players and staff were able to get back on the winning track.”
Port Angeles (1-9-0, 2-10-0) hosts North Kitsap on Friday.
North Kitsap 7, Sequim 2
POULSBO — The state-championship runner-up Vikings (11-0-0), ranked No. 2 in the WIAA’s Class 2A RPI this season, made things difficult for the Wolves from the opening kick.
“North Kitsap is such a composed and confident team, and when you go into the match with an ‘already beaten’ mentality it’s hard to get out of your head,” coach Dave Breckenridge said. “They came out to prove why they are undefeated and runner-up state finishers.
“We just couldn’t clean up our simple mistakes and connect a string of passes. They were at 100 percent and we were at 50 percent the first half.”
Breckenridge said Sequim rallied defensively, allowing just one goal on an own goal.
“[In the] second half, we decided to change the mentality and hold them to zero goals and possess more,” Breckenridge said. “I feel we did do that and other than an own goal we held them.
“So we take that and run with it against the second powerhouse in the league Bainbridge [tonight]. The focus is to play our game and minimize mistakes. If we do that we can defeat them. We know our district-playoff run is still alive,we just need to want it more.”
Mekhi Ashby and Josh Alcaraz scored the Sequim goals.
Sequim (5-5-0) visits Bainbridge tonight.
Forks 4, Ilwaco 0
ILWACO — Forks got a pair of goals from Margarito Gonzalez-Black and Jesus Garcia-Dominguez in a 4-0 shutout over Ilwaco.
Juan Terrones earned the shutout in goal.
Coach Ismael Ramos said the Spartans had a lot of offensive opportunities all game.
“We were 0-0 at the half. We had a lot of shots right to the keeper,” he said.
“We had some moments in the second half where we kept possession really real. Our passing was nice and crisp,” Ramos said.
Forks (3-9, 3-9) wrapped up its season with a game Wednesday against Tenino.
Cascade Christian 6, East Jefferson 2
PORT TOWNSEND — Ranked fifth in the Class 1A RPI, the Cougars (10-1-1) were too strong for the Rivals in a Nisqually League match at Memorial Field on Tuesday.
“It’s clear that we our young,” East Jefferson head coach Logan Stegner said. “A lot of simple mistakes, our emotional stamina for the high level games is low, but I am happy with the opportunities we created offensively. Our defense struggled to clear the ball for most of the game, and Cascade’s speed took advantage of those mistakes.”
Simon Barlow scored both of the East Jefferson goals.
“He needed those goals to regain his confidence offensively,” Stegner said. “Crosby Pray had a really good game as well. I am excited for the future of East Jefferson soccer so long as these guys continue to develop.”
The Rivals (3-6-3, 3-8-3) visit Klahowya on Friday.
Sports editor Pierre LaBossiere contributed to this story.
