SEQUIM — Buccaneers coach Craig Smith saw his team travel into a hostile environment, and come out of the contest unscathed and victorious.
The Kingston High School (6-6-1) girls soccer team picked up its sixth win of the season, defeating the Sequim Wolves (4-9) on its home turf 3-1 in an Olympic League match Tuesday night in Sequim. The victory was crucial in regards to the playoff picture, Smith said.
“We needed this win to stay in the hunt for the postseason,” he said. “This was basically a playoff game for us tonight and we knew we needed it.”
Kingston struck first when Kyla Jorgensen found the back of the net after receiving a perfect assist from Meghan Antoni in the 28th minute of play.
Sequim wouldn’t go away quietly, answering with a goal of its own just two minutes later.
“It was 1-1 at halftime,” Smith said. “It was their senior night and they went right after us. They were bumping us around and were pretty physical, but I think we absolutely responded to the challenge. We played better as the game went on.”
Antoni scored her only goal of the evening in the 47th minute, giving Kingston a 2-1 lead with 33 minutes left in the game. Renee Henderson was responsible for the assist on the play.
Bucs forward Kayla Campbell put the game out of reach at 3-1 when she scored Kingston’s third and final goal of the night in the 53rd minute of play.
“It was unassisted. Kayla got the ball at about midfield and carried it about 25 more yards down the field. She outran everybody,” Smith said. “The goalie started to come out, and she ripped a shot that just kept climbing and came in just under the cross-bar… It was incredible. That goal iced the game for us. We started playing even harder after that.”
Campbell’s athletic ability was apparent in the seconds leading up to her goal, he said.
Smith said this Tuesday’s game against Klahowya at Buccaneer Field could very well decide who advances to the postseason.
“We’re going to have to win against Klahowya. Its a big game and we get to play on our field,” he said. “We haven’t had much success there, but this will be our chance to do it now.”
