All three area teams hot early.

Girls soccer is stronger than ever in Central Kitsap from top to bottom, with team records being the telltale sign. Central Kitsap (1-1-3, 5-2-3), Klahowya (5-1, 6-1-1) and Olympic (4-1, 7-3) have posted impressive win-loss records midway through the 2008 season. While a slew of made-or-break games remain, each team is positioned for a nice postseason run. Only North Mason (6-0, 7-0-1) has a better record than Klahowya at the 2A level of the Olympic League, while Oly is virtually deadlocked with North Kitsap for the best 3A mark. CK, meanwhile, has weathered a tough schedule and Narrows Division to ready itself for a strong second half, having only one league loss with several big games remaining.

Here’s a closer look at how each team has fared early on and what awaits as the season progresses:

Klahowya: Sophomores playing like wily veterans

The Eagles have found a star in dual-sport athlete Jordan Dixon, who also plays basketball. The sophomore, in her first season with the Eagle kickers, leads the team with eight goals, two of which she tallied in Thursday’s 3-1 road win against Port Angeles.

“Jordan is just a great athlete who has a nose for the goal. I’ve never had an outside midfielder lead the team in scoring,” coach Troy Oelschlager said. “She also has good speed and reads the game well.”

Dixon’s presence on the field not only improves Klahowya’s offense, by giving it a scoring threat at all times, but gives the entire team confidence. Dixon has stepped into a leadership role.

“What we lost in leadership from last year’s seniors, we gained in skill from this year’s freshmen and Jordan,” Oelschlager said. “Along with all the other returnees being a year more experienced, I think we are farther along this year than we were last year at this point in the season.”

Those returnees include now-captains Jenna Whetsel and Kinsey Simcic, who are both seniors, and senior goalkeeper Kazandra Holiday.

“Kazandra has been doing a great job in goal,” Oeschlager said. “Although she is not a captain, because she is a senior and a big part of our team, the younger girls look up to her.”

And while Holiday isn’t a captain on a week-to-week basis, she still has the opportunity to step up.

“Traditionally we have three captains, but instead, the two captains are picking a different girl each week to act as the third captain as a reward for working hard in games and practice,” Oeschlager said.

The philosophy is translating to success both in practice and on the field.

“It’s a great group of girls who really work well together, and so far this season has been a lot of fun,” Oeschlager said. “It should be fun to see how far they can go into the postseason this year.”

And the Eagles are especially hungry for playoff success, having lost in heartbreaking fashion — a shootout — in the first round of last year’s state tournament.

“…that stung a bit for the girls,” Oeschlager said. “As far as expectations, our team goal is to get back to the state tournament for the second straight year.”

The Eagles host crosstown rival 3A Olympic at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Olympic: wins, wins and more wins

For coach Steve Haggerty, it’s all about maintaining the proud girls soccer tradition at Olympic High School.

“A lot of people are aware of the tradition of girls soccer at Olympic High School and want to continue it,” he said.

So far, so good in 2008.

Oly, arguably the most talented team in the Olympic League, is off to a strong start despite losing 2-1 against first-place 2A North Mason on Thursday.

But Haggerty said his team learned something from the game: The will to win, rather than expecting to win, equates to success. Not to say the Trojans expected to win, but the Bulldogs simply showed enough heart to get the job done.

“They lived up to their name last night,” Haggerty said Friday. “One thing that impressed me, was their heart. They were Bulldogs out there. Hats off to them.”

The loss was a hiccup in what otherwise has been a strong first half to the season.

“We’ve been able to generate attacks,” Haggerty said. “We’ve been pretty good offensively.”

Senior Audrey Pond, a defender and midfielder, and senior Allie Brown, a forward, are the Trojans on-field anchors, joining junior captain Anndrea O’Leary, who leads the team in assists.

Captains Lacy Skelly and Brielle Kadrmas, both seniors, also have made large contributions early.

“Everybody’s been stepping up,” Haggerty said.

And Oly could be even better than their 7-3 record indicates. Inconsistency on offense, especially on converting attacks, have resulted in missed opportunities.

“We’ve been a little impatient by taking ill-advised shots,” Haggerty said, explaining the offense needs to be more patient. “A lot of people in soccer kind of panic (when they have an open shot).”

The three losses — to NM, Central Kitsap and Bainbridge — illustrate how important it is to convert scoring opportunities. The Trojans managed only two goals in those three games.

“If you don’t score, you can’t win,” Haggerty said.

Haggerty said the top 3A spot in the Olympic League could be determined in an Oct. 16 home game against North Kitsap, which recently moved down from 4A to 3A.

Central Kitsap: It’s all about the ‘D’

The Cougars lost a goal-scoring machine in former standout Brandi Hamre, who now plays for Seattle Pacific University. Hamre scored 68 career goals, including 26 as a senior, carrying the Cougars to a 12-7-1 record in 2007. She also accounted for a handful of assists, playing a part in nearly every CK goal. But Hamre’s absence, while noticeable offensively, has opened the door for other players to step into the limelight, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

That’s the story for CK midway through 2008: defense.

The Cougars have outscored their opponents 20-9 through 10 ten games, giving up less than one goal per game. And Coach Vicky Webb attributes the defensive success in large part to sophomore keeper Jaymie Boekenoogen, who originally was slated to be the team’s backup.

“She had to come up big,” Webb said. “She’s done a fine job.”

With big performances from captains Hannah Anderson and Allie Washburn, CK has managed to combat the loss of Hamre.

“You couldn’t ask any more of them,” Webb said, adding her team has only three seniors total. “It’s hard to replace that leadership.”

Webb characterized the offense as “score by committee,” with Anderson and Bethany Daniel, having five goals apiece, leading the way.

“We’re still looking to make our (offensive) combinations,” Webb said.

The Narrows League, with powerhouses Stadium, Bellarmine Prep, Gig Harbor and Olympia is one of the toughest in the state, meaning CK will have to play its best soccer late in the season to secure a postseason berth.

“It’s a very difficult league,” Webb said. “It’s pretty challenging, but it’s a good challenge.”

And while the Cougars hope to find the top of the Narrow League, Webb said she — and her players — are grateful to be on the field with high-quality people.

“I have a lot of respect for all the coaches in the area,” Webb said. “They are really good people, it’s a wonderful group of people.”

CK tied South Kitsap 1-1 in a league game Thursday. CK managed only five shots on goal, Webb said, but managed to salvage a tie. SK posted 20 shots on goal but couldn’t convert more than that.

“It was a very physical game,” Webb said.

While ties are worth one point, Webb wants to see her team pull in a few more wins, which are worth three points.

“We’d like to have more wins,” she said. “But, at least a tie is worth one point.”

CK travels to Shelton for a 7 p.m. game Oct. 7. before returning home Oct. 9 to host Stadium at 7 p.m.