BREMERTON — The Vikings kept the field tilted toward the Bremerton net, firing a barrage of shots on goal in a 2-0 victory.
Junior forward Charlotte Bond netted a brace as North Kitsap pelted one of the league’s best keeper, Knights junior Alyssa Hansiel, with over a dozen strikes and kept the ball in their half of the field for much of the match.
But it was only when Bond got loose in the open field that the Vikings were able to score. An 11th minute long-ball from defender Alaina Marcotte sprung her free down the right sideline and she placed a shot to the far side of the net to give her team a 1-0 lead.
Bond scored a virtual carbon copy in the 60th minute on a pass from defender Emily DeLay.
The Vikings haven’t been known as a high-scoring team in the last couple of years, but this group of players should find the back of the net more frequently.
“We’re definitely capable. We’ve got a lot of speed. We’ve got some scorers,” head coach Greg St. Peter said. “We’re really trying to link up and connect all the dots. It’s our third game. We have a lot to improve upon, but you can see glimpses of really good opportunities.”
The few times the Knights were able to muster an offensive opportunity, the defense was there to sweep it away. Bremerton only got one shot on target and had trouble winning and sustaining possession in the midfield. North Kitsap was able to hold on to the ball for more than 80 percent of the game.
“I think we had an overall pretty good game,” Bond said. “We all kept possession pretty well.”
Senior Sophia Capdepon had the lone scoring chance for Bremerton, taking a ball headed down by Shelby Cassell and unleashing a left-footed strike that keeper Nicole Rosen had to dive to her left to stop.
“Our first game was a little scary at times, but everyone is learning how to play together,” St. Peter said. “I thought we did a good job of not giving them chances. When we won those 50-50 balls, we were able to keep it and create other opportunities.”
North Kitsap 2, Bremerton 0
NK 1 1 — 2
BR 0 0 — 0
First Half — NK, Charlotte Bond (Alaina Marcotte), 11th.
Second Half — NK, Bond (Emily DeLay), 60th.
— Mark Krulish is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at mkrulish@soundpublishing.com. Follow him on Twitter @MKrulishKDN.
