t SK’s Krug tapped as coach of the year in first year at the helm.
Some didn’t expect much from South Kitsap’s girls soccer team that graduated 11 players and had its third coach in four years.
But the Wolves actually won once more this season than 2007 and advanced to the state tournament for the first time in three years. It also is believed to be the first time they beat perennial power Bellarmine Prep, the league champion. Those accomplishments are reflected in the all-Kitsap team as three players and coach Michael Krug earned first-team honors.
The all-county team, made up of eligible players from schools in Kitsap County, was voted on by the sports editors and writers of the Kitsap News Group, including the Port Orchard Independent, Bremerton Patriot, Central Kitsap Reporter and North Kitsap Herald.
2008 All-Kitsap County
Girls Soccer Team
• F — Ali Brown, Olympic, senior: Brown is a pure soccer player. She’s athletic, explosive with the ball and acutely aware of what’s happening on the field around her. With 29 total points, 12 goals and five assists, Brown often finished — or created — offensive attacks for Olympic’s potent front line. Brown fueled a handful of last-minute Lady Trojan victories, including the team’s 1-0 win against Shadle Park in the first round of the state tournament when she scored in the 78th minute to help her team advance to the quarterfinals.
• F — Siara Byers, North Kitsap, junior: One of the fastest players in the state, Byers was the second-leading scorer in the Olympic League. Her combination of speed and skill caused havoc for defenses. Byers finished the season with 17 goals and seven assists. Coach Dee Taylor said Byers has enough skill to play any position on the field.
• F — Tori Fairweather, South Kitsap, senior: Woodinville coach Sully Hester has seen plenty of good soccer players come through his program. After all, the Falcons have finished no worse than third in the Class 4A state tournament the last four years. But after eliminating the Wolves, 4-2, at state Nov. 12, Hester was effusive in his praise of Fairweather. He commended her physical style of play and said she was one of the best players his team had seen all season. Fairweather finished the regular season with 10 goals.
• MF — Hannah Anderson, Central Kitsap, junior: Anderson provided pop to CK’s offense, which at times struggled to score goals in the absence of former standout Brandi Hamre, a four-year varsity player who now plays at Seattle Pacific University.
• MF — Christina Boddie, South Kitsap, junior: Boddie, who also is a standout for the school’s track and field program, might be the most athletic player in the Wolves’ program. She was one of the primary factors why the Wolves returned to the state tournament for the first time in three years with eight goals and three assists during the regular season. South’s shootout win against Stadium in the Narrows League playoffs might be the best example of her value to the team. Coach Michael Krug “saved her for state and gave some other players opportunities,” because Boddie had a knee bruise. But when the Wolves were forced into a shootout, Boddie was asked to enter and take a shot.
• MF — Delanee Nilles, North Kitsap, freshman: Nilles’ ability as a freshman matched that of a veteran high-school star. In her first high school season, Nilles had 14 goals and 10 assists. With the ability to score with either foot, inside or outside the goalie box, or find her teammates in scoring position, Nilles is dangerous everywhere.
• MF — Anndrea O’Leary, Olympic, junior: Coach Steve Haggerty referred to O’Leary as the “engine” that made the Lady Trojans’ midfield run. She is a hard worker with outstanding technical ability and often set the table for Brown and fellow scorer Audrey Pond to the score. O’Leary finished with three goals, nine assists and 18 total points.
• D — Kelsey Johnson, Bremerton, senior: Bremerton coach Lance McCoy has guided Johnson since she was in middle school and said he believes her ability to read the flow of play — and defend, accordingly — is what makes her not just a good player, but a great player.
• D — Alyssa Nystrom, South Kitsap, senior: Nystrom was the only starter returning this year at a position former coach Scott Sodorff considered the team’s strength last season. But the position remained strong as South had six shutouts and allowed one goal per contest during the regular season. Nystrom, who will play at the University of Montana, was the primary reason behind that.
• D — Rachel Tafte, Kingston, sophomore: A sweeper who predominantly anchored Kingston’s defense, this underclassman held the back line and dictated tempo. She was voted team co-MVP by her teammates, the first 10th-grader to receive such an honor under coach Craig Smith.
• GK — Darrien Dorr, Olympic, junior: Perhaps “lockdown goalkeeper” is the best way to describe Dorr, who posted 14 shutouts in 19 games. The junior yielded just seven goals all season (.37 per game), including a nine-game shutout streak. What’s more, she returns next season to anchor an Olympic team coming off a berth to the state quarterfinals.
• Coach of the Year — Michael Krug, South Kitsap: South Kitsap graduated 11 players off a team that missed the state tournament a year ago. Krug, the school’s third coach in four years, introduced a new system and dealt with the loss of the team’s most prolific scorer, forward Courtney Brown, who sustained a season-ending injury in September during an Olympic Development Program tryout.
Despite that, Krug guided the Wolves to their first state appearance in three years. Their season ended against Woodinville, which advanced to the state championship.
Honorable Mention
• F/MF — Katie Anderson, King’s West, senior: Anderson led the Lady Warriors with 25 total points, scoring 12 of the team’s 27 goals while tallying one assist. She scored a hat trick Oct. 14 in a 3-0 win against Rainier Christian and with two more years of eligibility, figures to be a force down the road in the Sea-Tac League.
• MF — Kirsten Anthony, Central Kitsap, sophomore: Webb praised Anthony for her work ethic, translating to success on the field. She was third on the team with five goals while also finishing with an impressive nine assists.
• F/MF — Megan Antoni, Kingston, senior: Co-captain Antoni plays aggressive, with heart, speed, skill and instinct. She’ll do whatever it takes to snag the ball, reach her teammates or take the shot. Antoni scored eight goals on 54 shots and tallied two assists. The Bucs’ leading scorer, she also filled in as sweeper during Kingston’s district playoff game.
• MF — Elya Le, North Kitsap, sophomore: Small in stature but huge in heart, Le brought the energy to disrupt on defense and the intellect and skill to create on offense.
• D — Brielle Kadrmas, Olympic, senior: Each time Dorr tallied a shutout, she credited the defense in front her for limiting the number of shots the opponent took. And Kadrmas, a senior, played an intricate role in doing just that, supporting Dorr and the entire defensive unit. She added four goals as well.
• D — Courtney Lewandowski, Klahowya, junior: A tough defender who reads the game well, Lewandowski “was the heart and soul of our defense,” according to coach Troy Oelschlager. Klahowya lost only six games throughout the season — four of the losses were by one goal — and Lewandowski was the biggest reason for that.
• MF — Brianna Mathisen, King’s West, senior: Third on the team in total points with seven — two goals and three assists — the 5-foot-8 veteran offered balance and experience to an otherwise young roster, which had nine underclassmen.
• GK — Rae Ann McConnel, Kingston, senior: A goalie you can count on, she tallied 89 saves in 15 games. McConnel also added an additional 15 yards to her drop-kick release effort. When Kingston took Olympic, which at the time hadn’t lost a league game in two years, into overtime, McConnel saved more than 30 shots to keep Kingston in the match.
• MF — Hannah McCoy, Bremerton, senior: McCoy’s improved one-on-one defensive play, coupled with her precise passing and ball skills, gave the Bremerton midfield unit a huge lift. A co-captain, she played 66 games at the varsity level and made the go-ahead assist in the Lady Knights’ 2-0 sub-district victory against Yelm Nov. 4.
