POULSBO — In Thursday’s match between the North and South Kitsap soccer teams, South struck first. Then they held on.

Despite a sharper offensive game from the Vikings in the second half, and one goal that managed its way past the Wolves’ keeper, South Kitsap garnered the one-goal win, 2-1.

The Wolves (5-0-3) traveled to Poulsbo for the game, and co-cach Gary Trautman (who is joined on the sideline by Lois Stromberg) knew the Wolves would have to content with the Vikings’ fleetness of foot.

“We had to play hard,” Trautman said. “They and Port Angeles match up to us best, speed-wise.”

Both goalies were on display in the opening minutes.

First, North Kitsap’s Lacey Cooper a short shot by South Kitsap captain Sarah Groves.

Then North Kitsap’s Lydia Ramsey’s shot was snuffed by Wolves’ tender Erin Porter.

That was the tone of the game for the first 20 minutes. As soon as either team put together a drive or attempted a shot, the other team was there to prevent it.

Then, with the clock ticking down to 16 minutes, South Kitsap got on the board.

A South Kitsap corner kick bounced in front of the net, then rolled at the feet of forward Tiffany Storck. Storck, one of the team’s four captains, put a foot on it and kicked it past Cooper for a South Kitsap goal.

North tried several times to tie the game: Kim Skelly’s pass found a streaking Abby Tillotson, who was running unguarded towards the goal.

But the Wolves’ Porter reached the ball first. She scooped it up to end the Vikings’ opportunity.

As the clock wound down on halftime, South struck again.

Cooper stopped another South Kitsap shot, this one by Amanda Bolz; but Bolz got the ball back, darted past a Viking defender, and sent the ball scampering past Cooper for a 2-0 lead.

South carried that lead into halftime.

Twenty minutes went by in the second half, with North putting together better and better attacks and South ably keeping the Vikings away from the goal.

In the 23rd minute North finally got on the board. Katy Pryde sent an arcing cross-field pass to Rosie Zadra, who was charging towards the goal. Zadra booted the ball into the net and cut the Wolves’ lead to one.

North had more opportunities, but time after time the Wolves muscles them away or stopped the shot.

The Wolves’ Jamae Feddock stopped the final drive, as she kicked the ball out of range of a rushing Zadra, who was charging towards her second goal of the week.

After the game, Wolves coach Trautman said, “When the opportunities were there, we pounded both of them.”

Vikings head coach Teri Ishihara said, “In the first half we didn’t do much, but in the second half we did better.”

The Vikings dropped to 3-5-0 with the loss.