by Marty Zier, Sounder sports contributor
Girls Soccer
The lady Vikings faced two tough teams last week, resulting in losses to Mount Vernon Christian, 6-3, and Friday Harbor, 6-0.
Head Coach Chris Doherty said the game versus MVC Hurricanes, “Seemed like it was in slow motion. We got behind 3-0 quickly. The Hurricanes did not capitalize so much on speed of their forwards like LaConner, but effective and methodical passing to advance towards the goal. We had a better second half and scored some goals but we could not overcome our slow start. I think the Hurricanes are a team we match up well against, but we have to be on our game from the start.”
The lady Vikings traveled to San Juan Island for a loss to the Wolverines, 6-0, on Sept. 21.
“The girls came out strong and ready for a good match and an early goal did not faze the spirit of the team”, said Doherty. “But as the game moved along Friday Harbor became more comfortable with their midfleld and feed long balls to their forwards adding constant pressure to our defense. We did have a handful of shots and scrambles in their goal area, but we did not expect a 6-0 loss.”
Lady Viking soccer ended the week (1-3) in league and (1-4) overall with an away game at Concrete this week.
Boys Soccer
Coming off an unexpected 1-0 loss to MVC last week in the Viking’s home opener, Head Coach Terry Turner said, “Don’t even think about counting us out.” That confidence wasn’t just chatter as the Vikings rebounded hard, doubling up with a 5-1 win over Friday Harbor and a 4-1 win against Lopez Island.
The Vikings finished the week 3-2 in league and overall, tailing the undefeated Hurricanes who remain undefeated at 4-0 overall. Grace Academy and Cedar Park Christian await the Vikings this week.
Volleyball
The lady Vikings had a dominate 3-0 win against the MVC Hurricanes on Sept. 20.
Coach Rebekah Hardee said her players finally played as a team and it paid off.
“They were talking and communicating with each other and played volleyball like they do in practice, like a team. We finally got that communication out on the court. After our first set, I knew we could win, they were confident. They got past their mistakes and got right back into the game and the next ball. Transitions got better too, getting on and off the net quicker. Still need to work on serves. We missed too many out of bounds. I think they get too excited and having fun but as coaches, we continually try to coach better. I think we are seeing the results of getting into those early non-league matches and getting our issues worked out,” she said.
The lady Vikings faced the Friday Harbor Wolverines Sept. 21 and lost 3-1.
“As a coach, you want your athletes to give their all every time they step on the court,” said Hardee. “That is what happened against Friday Harbor. It was a close loss but came away feeling great about the way we played. We started out on fire with a first set win, 25-11. Alyssa Johns led with consistent serving and smart hitting. The next three sets were close. The fourth was back and forth on the scoreboard but in the end lost 23-25. The girls are starting to show incredible reactions to the ball and playing exciting volleyball. Astasia Monahan had her first solo block on a varsity court!”
The Lady Vikings finished the week 1-1 in league and 1-3 overall with Darrington and MVC on the schedule this week.
