SK trips up Vikings to stay undefeated

Down a starting goalkeeper and starting defender, the South Kitsap High School girls soccer team proved the importance of depth.

SK (8-0-2 league, 8-0-3 overall) remained undefeated after handing North Kitsap a 2-1 loss on a chilly Thursday night in Poulsbo.

The Wolves were without the services of goalkeeper Megan Morey and defender Lauren Gehring, who are both nursing injuries.

But that didn’t stop the high-powered Wolves from clinching a victory.

Tiffany Storck redirected Ashley Sutton’s corner kick with the backswing of her heel to give SK a 1-0 lead at the 25-minute mark.

The Wolves padded their lead when Amanda Bolz took a pass from Kristen Ritchie and booted the ball from 25 yards out past a diving North Kitsap goalkeeper.

NK’s Rosie Zandra scored with 17 minutes to go in the game to cut into SK’s lead, but the SK defense proved too strong as it held off any desperate scoring attempts.

The tide did seem to turn in the Vikings favor in the second half, but Trautman said it was a matter of sending more defenders to help instead of playing on the offensive.

One of the big helps came in the form of Jamae Feddock.

The junior defender couldn’t have made it back on the field at a better time.

She had been relegated to street clothes the first nine games of the season because of academic ineligibility.

But two games into her season and she’s already showing her value on the field.

SK coach Gary Trautman said having Feddock as the left side defender has allowed Emilee Ashby to play on the right side where she’s more comfortable.

“I’m sure Emilee is very glad because she’s been playing the left side all season and she’s right-footed,” Trautman said. “Jamae has got a very nice left foot and she’s got great size. In the game against Olympic, she only played 20 minutes but she stopped what they had.”

When Gehring and Morey return next week Trautman will have more depth than any team he’s coached in recent memory.

It’s a defense that has given up more than a goal only once this season — only seven on the season.

At the same time, SK has netted 28 goals in 11 games for a 2.5 goals per game average.

Trautman said this year’s squad has been successful at taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

“As we’ve gone along this season, they’ve really developed more as a counter-attack team rather than a constantly attacking team,” he said.

“That’s how we got Olympic the other night.”

In the home game against Olympic SK’s Sarah Groves scored two goals and Bolz added a goal.

Groves said remaining undefeated is a great accomplishment but admitted there is more work to be done.

“This wasn’t our best game,” Groves said. “The score didn’t show how the game was. We dominated, but we’ve got to learn to finish better.”

Groves said she’s pleased with the way the team chemistry has come along though and foresees the team peaking at the right time.

“Every game we improve on a little part of our game,” she said. “Maybe by districts and league and state we’ll be there. We have more potential than we’re showing right now.”

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.