Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

Talk about bad breaks.

Missing their leading scorer and one of their top defenders, Sequim fell 1-0 to Port Townsend Saturday afternoon and out of the playoff chase.

Needing a win against their rivals from the Quimper Peninsula, the Wolves were missing Kai Antrim (ankle) and David LaBeaume (illness), and saw only limited play from starter Zane Carey (bad back).

Port Townsend made them pay, getting the game’s lone goal when Daniel Berg snapped up a rebound and put it past Sequim keeper Matt Bedinger at 65 minutes.

“We had most of the play,” Sequim coach Dave Brasher said. “We had plenty of chances … (and) had them on their heels most of the game.”

After a scoreless first half, Port Townsend got a quick counter attack and shot that ricocheted off a defender to Berg, who capitalized.

The win gives the Redskins an Olympic League 2A division No. 2 seed; they play Fife on May 10.

Sequim sees their season end, saying goodbye to seven seniors, four of them starters.

Included in that group of seniors is Antrim, who finishes his career with a school-record 40 goals. Midfielder Jeffrey Catton, one of Sequim’s most productive midfielders, finished one shy of Vann Brasher’s school record of 25 assists.

Though disappointed in the loss, coach Brasher said he was impressed with his team’s play in an obviously improved Olympic League.

“I’m really proud of the kids; it’s easy to have a lot of excuses in this game,” he said. “(But) they left it all out on the field. It’s been a while since we’ve had a competitive league. This year, pretty much everybody was fairly decent.”

And while Brasher sees the Wolves being able to regroup end get a chance at the playoffs in 2009, he figures both Antrim and Catton to play soccer in college.

Catton says he plans to play for Andrew Chapman’s Peninsula College team in Port Angeles this fall.



Wolves shut out Eagles

They got a win but lost a lot in the process.

Behind a strong game from Bedinger, Sequim’s goalkeeper, the Wolves posted a 3-0 shutout of Klahowya April 30.

But the Wolves lost Antrim when what coach Brasher called a “reckless” slide tackle caught the senior forward’s left ankle and likely broke it, putting Sequim’s leading goal-scorer out of the season.

Antrim finished 2008 with 12 goals, including one against Klahowya in the first half off an assist from Catton.

Antrim’s goal at 25 minutes was the lone first-half score. John Textor added a score at 50 minutes and Greg Seabolt capped the scoring at 71 minutes, with Catton getting his second assist of the contest.

The Wolves were without LaBeaume, whom Brasher noted was out with dehydration problems.



Bucs’ win at Sequim gives new school a league title

Turns out the new school has some talent.

First-year Kingston, a school created by dividing up the North Kitsap student population, saw much of that talent come to its soccer team this spring and posted an Olympic League-best 10-1-1 mark, topping even the league’s top 3A squad: the Olympic Trojans.

The Buccaneers’ 3-0 victory in Sequim April 29 clinched the title.

Brian Bain scored in the 28th minute to give the visiting Bucs a 1-0 lead at halftime. Josh Gilson and Chris Hall added second-half goals.



Box:

Olympic League standings (as of May 5)

• 2A division Lg. Over. Pts.

Kingston 10-1-1 11-1-3 31

Port Townsend 7-2-3 7-3-4 24

Sequim 6-5-1 7-5-2 19

North Mason 2-10-0 4-10-0 6

Klahowya 0-12-0 2-10-0 0

• 3A division Lg. Over. Pts.

Olympic 9-2-0 9-6-0 27

Peninsula 8-3-0 9-3-1 24

Bremerton 5-6-0 6-9-0 15

Port Angeles 2-8-1 3-11-2 7