Bainbridge forced Sequim’s defense wider than it wanted as the Spartans triumphed 3-0 over the Wolves in an Olympic League boys soccer loss on March 29.
“We held them to 0-0 in the first half and I felt we had some good chances and scoring opportunities, and it was just a nice back-and-forth first half, really evenly matched,” Sequim coach Ken Garling said.
“Going into the second half, I thought we were up for it. One of the things Bainbridge were able to utilize is their wide play, we wanted to be more compact defensively and they got us out of shape a couple of times.”
Bainbridge went up 1-0 in the 47th minute.
“They pulled us wide and there was space in between our two central defenders and they got it in,” Garling said.
“We settled in and were able to attack them and put a little pressure on their end, but about the 72nd minute, they were able to get past our center backs and slot in another goal. That kind of took the wind out of our sails at that point.”
Sequim allowed a late penalty kick, which the Spartans converted for the final tally.
“I thought Javier Gomez played really well for us defensively at outside left back,” Garling said. “That was probably his best game so far. And Ethan Knight did a good job in midfield for us controlling the pitch.”
Two days later, Sequim (4-2 in league, 4-3 overall) dropped its second league game of the campaign, a 2-1 defeat at Bremerton.
After an out-of-sorts first half, the Wolves played like themselves in the second half, only to allow the Knights to walk off with a final minute goal and the win.
“We just could not get in any kind of rhythm in first half,” Garling said.
“Credit to Bremerton, they did a great job defending and were pretty lethal in their attack. We just couldn’t slow them down. When we would win the ball we couldn’t string passes together on the attack.”
Down a goal at halftime, Sequim made some adjustments and found success.
“We moved some players around and the boys responded well,” Garling said.
Sequim tied it up around the 55th minute.
“Ethan Knight got the goal on a beautiful chip shot over the keeper,” Garling said. “Brandon Wagner was in an attacking midfielder spot in the second half and he got a nice ball lofted up and over two defenders that bounced once and Ethan made a one-time volley to put the ball in the back of the net.”
The two sides went back-and-forth with chances at either end before the Knights found the net in the final minute.
“We can learn from this game and we will be ready for them when they come play at Sequim,” Garling said.
Coming up
Sequim gets a respite during Spring Break before jumping back into league play at Port Angeles on April 12; the game is at Peninsula College’s Sigmar Field.
The Wolves host Olympic on April 14 and are at North Kitsap on April 19.
Sequim’s Brandon Wagner looks for an open teammate downfield in the first half of a 3-0 home loss to Bainbridge on March 29. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael
Sequim’s Cruz Pernia, left, and Brandon Wagner vie for a loose ball in the first half of a 3-0 home loss to Bainbridge on March 29. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael
Left: Sequim goalkeeper Jack Van De Wege makes a goal-saving deflection in the first half of the Wolves’ 3-0 loss to Bainbridge on March 29.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
