PORT ANGELES — Coach Chris Saari said the Port Angeles boys soccer team played some of its best soccer of the year in fending off Kingston 4-2 on Friday night at Peninsula College for the Roughriders’ fourth win in a row.
The victory keeps Port Angeles all alone in third place in the Olympic League.
“The Riders had been working on their ball possession at practice and in games throughout the season and put together their best passing game of the season so far,” Saari said. “Jackson Wyall made some great overlapping runs on the right side for PA. Taihvan Lyle was strong again with his headers, ball winning and distribution.”
Matthew Miller finished with his second hat trick of the season.
The Riders’ hard work paid off when they finally got their first goal of the match in the 35th minute on a near-perfect set piece from Miller. Kanyon Anderson drew a foul on the left side of the Bucs’ penalty box. Miller took a direct free kick and bent a shot from a tight angle to the top corner of the far post.
“It was a clinical free kick finish,” Saari said.
The Roughriders quickly added a second goal three minutes later, again from Miller. Grant Butterworth headed a loose ball after a corner kick and Miller collected the ball and hit a left-footed volley that went off the left post and in from 10 yards out.
Kingston battled back early in the second half to make it 2-1, but in the 49th minute, Miller completed his hat trick when he scored on a through pass from Jacob Weaver.
Finally, Oliver Martinez picked up a goal in the 72nd minute when he headed in an Anderson corner kick off a Bucs’ defender.
Kingston scored in the 74th minute but Port Angeles held on for the rest of the match for the win.
Saari named Miller the offensive player of the match, Lyle and Wyall his defensive players of the match and Weaver his transition players of the match.
Port Angeles (6-2, 8-3) has a huge test coming up on the road Tuesday at Bainbridge, which is leading the league at 8-0. Bainbridge just beat a very good North Kitsap team 4-1 on Friday.
In other soccer action, the Sequim boys beat Bremerton 3-1 on Friday to remain in fourth place at 5-4 in league.
Sequim (5-4, 5-4) is at North Mason (1-7, 1-9) on Tuesday.
Sequim’s Nico Musso (19) and Sebastian Buhrer (6) surround Bremerton’s Luis Funez Ramos (16) in the Wolves’ 3-1 victory over Bremerton in Sequim on Friday. (Emily Mathiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
