POULSBO — Halfway through the 2005 season, it didn’t look as if the North Kitsap Vikings soccer team was going anywhere near the post-season.

Granted, a record hovering around .500 was an improvement over years past — NK won only two games in 2003 — but the mark would clearly not make the cut in a competitive Narrows League Bridge Division.

North’s primary problem was surrendering too many goals per game. But that’s when head coach Pat Stickney made an ambitious move.

“The defense was too porous,” Stickney said. “The success of the team really keyed off of making the defensive change.”

Moving team captain Marc Anderson to the backfield and re-configuring the team’s entire strategy to emphasize team defense was that change. It was a logical adjustment for the defensively-minded Stickney.

“My philosophy is, ‘Always build the team from the defense out,’” he said.

The most telling statistic is just how that bolstered defense helped plot a course to the Narrows Bridge top four for the team’s first time in many years. Through the first half, the squad gave up 21 goals to their opponents. In the second half, it gave up just eight.

The players recognize just how much the moved helped.

“I really have to give it up to the coaches,” said junior goalie Patrick Moore. “They really got everybody organized.”

A trip to the playoffs hasn’t happened in so long that Stickney said the guys are just savoring the chance.

“There are no expectations,” he said. “Our first goal was to get to this tournament. It’s all gravy to us now.”

He did say the team now had a new goal, however — get by Olympia and get the bid into the district tournament. Should North win today, it’ll do just that, playing another game Monday night at 6 p.m. in Silverdale for seeding purposes.

“If we can get our game faces on, I know we can beat these next few teams,” Moore said.

Regardless of the result against Olympia today, Stickney said the future of the program is promising. He’s even brought up four players — James May, Kevin Joines, Sam Mouser and Seth Dougherty — from the junior varsity, where they may get some playoff experience.

“What’s also special about this team is it’s JV,” he said. “The group is very talented with a good work ethic.”