SK girls soccer team takes 1-0 win over Stadium

South Kitsap’s girls soccer team seemed on the verge of following its same maddening theme from last year.

Plenty of opportunities — few tangible results.

But junior Becca Schoales found senior Kailey Lyman on a cross in the 48th minute to guide the Wolves to a 1-0 win Tuesday night against Stadium at Joe Knowles Field.

“It was just a really nice cross and one of our girls (Claire Posadas) missed it,” Lyman said. “It was just right to my feet. A corner shot is really difficult for any keeper.”

It marked the first win for South (2-0-0 overall, 1-0-0 league) in the three-year tenure of coach Julie Cain against the Tigers. The Wolves’ last win in the series, 5-3, came on Oct. 23, 2008. Stadium (1-1-0, 0-1-0) tied the previous three meetings.

“That was a really big game to win because this is a really good team,” Lyman said. “Since they lost to us, that’s going to help us continue on and hopefully get first.”

South also tied three other times in Class 4A Narrows League play last year, which helped knock the Wolves down to a third-place finish despite allowing only nine goals, which was the fewest in the league along with Bellarmine Prep.

Stadium, which finished second in the league a year ago behind Bellarmine, did not make SK senior goalkeeper Bri Smallige’s second straight shutout easy. The Tigers had shots in the 32nd and 65th minutes hit off the crossbar.

“This was our first test,” said Cain, whose team won its season opener, 11-0, against Lincoln on Thursday. “It almost felt like our first game in a lot of ways.”

Lyman and freshman midfielder Hailey Parker had shots in the first 20 minutes, but Cain did not feel her team played well.

“I thought we played a little nervous in the first half,” she said. “I didn’t think we possessed it all that well.”

There were exceptions.

“Kailey Lyman played all four positions for us in the midfield and I thought she possessed it very well for us,” Cain said.

She felt her team performed better in the second half even though Smallige saved a shot in the 64th minute before another attempt hit the crossbar a minute later.

But Cain said some of that was a result of the Tigers adding pressure as they tried to close their deficit.

“Delaney (Digiovanni) ran our back line well,” said Cain, referring to South’s junior defender. “I think she really was composed, especially in the second half when they were attacking. They were putting another player up.”

Both Cain and Lyman agreed the Wolves still need plenty of improvement despite the outcome.

“We have a lot of freshmen,” Lyman said. “Once we get our rhythm, we’re going to be really good.”

Despite the close score, Cain still was able to use 20 players.

“We’re still working out the kinks and who plays where,” she said. “I’ve got more thoughts on where people should go. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

 

Tuesday

At South Kitsap 1, Stadium 0

First half-None.

Second half-1, South Kitsap, Kailey Lyman (Becca Schoales), 48th minute.

 

Thursday

At South Kitsap 11, Lincoln 0

First half-1, South Kitsap, Brita Oleson (Rachel Prince), 2nd minute; 2, South Kitsap, Becca Schoales (Kailey Lyman), 13th; 3, South Kitsap, Prince (Delaney Digiovanni), 15th; 4, South Kitsap, Schoales (Hailey Parker), 20th.

Second half-5, South Kitsap, Claire Posadas, 41st; 6, South Kitsap, Schoales, 43rd; 7, South Kitsap, Schoales (Lyman), 45th; 8, South Kitsap, Adri Jackson, 64th; 9, South Kitsap, Hayley Romo (Amy Bakalarski), 68th; 10, South Kitsap, Jackson (Parker), 71st; 11, South Kitsap, Bakalarski (Posadas), 78th.

Contact Port Orchard Independent Staff Writer Chris Chancellor at cchancellor@portorchardindependent.com or (360) 876-4414.

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