PORT ANGELES — Paige Mason notched two goals as Port Angeles dominated in Thursday’s 6-0 Olympic League girls soccer victory over Olympic at Wally Sigmar Field.
“It was a good 6-0 because we feel like we have been knocking on the door to find our offensive groove,” coach Daniel Horton said. “We’ve been striving to keep pushing forward to find ways to score, to find shots that will score. Before this one we had been doing a lot of things that were working for us to get shots, but we can’t just get shots, we have to get goals.”
Izzy Felton put Port Angeles (3-2-0, 3-2-0) on the board in the sixth minute assisted by Teanna Clark.
Felton then returned the favor on Clark’s first goal in the 14th minute as the Roughriders went up 2-0.
“Teanna has really been stepping up for us,” Horton said. “She’s playing aggressive and physical and really is a motor for us on the field. She’s getting more and more confident with sending balls in but also looking for shots and crashing when somebody shoots.”
Paige Mason added a goal just before halftime assisted by Kedryn Descala in the 38th minute as Port Angeles held a 3-0 lead in the locker room.
Freshman Morgan Politika scored her first varsity goal in the 56th minute and Mason finished out the scoring on another Descala assist in the 75th minute.
“We found a way to consistently score, we scored pretty early and you could tell it was building up again and then a score,” Horton said. “And it was nice to get scoring from all over the lineup.
Horton said the Port Angeles defense achieved its goal of making goalkeeper Kennedy Rognlien a spectator during the match.
“We challenged the defense to give Kennedy the night off,” Horton said. “And they held Olympic to zero shots on goal and only six shots for the whole game. The defense as a whole stepped up and gave her time to stand back, watch the game and get comfortable.”
Horton also said outside backs Taylor Smith and Cayleigh Alward played well.
“Those two sophomores on the outside had really good games keeping up with our center backs,” Horton said.
Port Angeles visits league-leading North Kitsap on Tuesday.
North Kitsap 3, Sequim 2
SEQUIM — The Wolves dropped a tight one in an early season matchup of two unbeaten Olympic League squads at home Thursday.
“NK is one of the top teams, so we knew we needed to defend our home field and the girls came out fired up and in a good mental space going into the game,” coach Ken Garling said. “We wanted to maximize our possession of the ball and give ourselves chances because we feel like we match up with them pretty well.”
The Vikings scored first.
“Their striker up top is skilled and she created a little bit of half space, turned and shot and just beyond [goalkeeper] Kali [Grove’s] finger tips,” Garling said.
Nikoline Updike leveled the match at 1-all, scoring off of a Raimey Brewer assist in the 15th minute
But North Kitsap answered quickly, pulling ahead once more in the 17th.
“The girls battled back and forth, it was truly and exciting game to watch,” Garling said. “Jenny Gomez, she’s such a force up there, she saw an opportunity to press high on their outside left back. Jenny pestered her, won the ball and sent in a rocket of a cross in front of the face of the goal and she found Taryn [Johnson] and she just had to put her foot out to tap it in.”
Chasing a score
The score remained knotted at 2-all through halftime and into the 53rd minute of the match.
“They sent in a high, looping shot from about 30 yards out, we may have gotten a finger on it but it went in,” Garling said.
“We created chances and tried to battle our way back in it. Taryn and Sasha Yada had a couple of good looks, Nikoline had one and it felt like we were building toward another goal. It was one of those games where if we had another 5-to-10 minutes I think we would have tied it up.”
Sequim (3-1-0) hosts another talented league foe in Bainbridge on Tuesday.
“The girls were exhausted but encouraged and happy they held their own,” Garling said.
“This game gave us confidence in where we stand against the top teams and we are excited for the opportunity to play them. “This year’s team is in the mindset that we might bend a little bit but we won’t break. Saw that last night, the girls didn’t give up, they kept fighting back.”
Boys Tennis Port Angeles 6, Sequim 1
PORT ANGELES — The Riders swept all four doubles matches and two of three singles contests against the rival Wolves.
“As we approach the halfway point of the season, I feel like our guys are continuing to improve,” coach Brian Gundersen said.
“ I’m looking forward to seeing what the second half of the season has in store.”
The Riders (5-1) are scheduled to host Bremerton on Monday.
Sequim (2-4, 3-4) host Bainbridge on Monday.
Port Angeles 6, Sequim 1
Match Report
Singles
No. 1: Nathan Basden (S) def. Nathan Basden 6-1, 6-0
No. 2: Matthew Miller (PA) def. Jack Crecilius (S) 6-1, 6-3.
No. 3: CJ Elliott (PA) def. Mason Rapelje (S) 6-2, 6-4.
Doubles
No. 1: Luke Flodstrom/Tate Alton (PA) def. William Hughes/Tom Laschet (S) 6-1, 6-4.
No. 2: Reid Schmidt/Keatyn Hoch (PA) def. Lincoln Bear/Hunter Tennell 6-1, 6-1.
No. 3: Austin Worthington/Grant Butterworth (PA) def. Sebastian Buhrer/Isaac McKeen (S) 6-0, 7-6.
No. 4: Carter Gundersen/Carston Seibel (PA) def. Zach Post/Ryan Stites (S) 6-1, 6-2.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at mcarman@peninsuladaily news.com.
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Port Angeles’ Becca Manson, right, fights for control with Olympic’s Emiko Carrier-Berndt on Thursday night at Peninsula College.
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Port Angeles’ Cayleigh Alward, right, settles a loose ball as Olympic’s Lili Diaz closes in during Thursday’s match in Port Angeles.
