A second chance.

That is what South Kitsap boys soccer coach James Ritchie and his players are looking toward.

The Wolves won 4-0 Tuesday against Shelton in Narrows League play and finish their regular season Thursday at Stadium, which is undefeated.

It was a match that could have determined the league’s regular-season champion, but the Tigers clinched that when Bellarmine Prep scored goals in the 68th, 70th and 72nd minutes Monday en route to a 5-4 win against South.

“That was a sore one to take,” Ritchie said. “The boys played fantastically well. But sometimes you don’t get what you deserve and you just have to deal with it.”

The Stadium match still holds significance, though. The Wolves (8-2-2 overall, 7-1-1 league) can secure second place in the Narrows with a win. But they could finish as low as fourth with a loss.

That was not a problem against the Highclimbers (3-8-2, 1-7-1). Senior forward Austin Arper, who scored two goals against the Lions, added a pair more against Shelton in the fourth minute and the 43rd. The first came on an assist from junior midfielder Diego de la Cruz and the next ricocheted off a pair of Highclimbers defenders before landing in the goal. Arper now has 17 goals this season.

Ritchie said Arper, de la Cruz and Dallas Brewster, who had goals in the 36th and 68th, have been “fantastic” this year.

He just hopes he can use that word to describe South’s next opportunity.

“We look forward to Stadium,” Ritchie said. “These are the games you want to play.”

Tuesday

At South Kitsap 4, Shelton 0

First half: 1, South Kitsap, Austin Arper (Diego de la Cruz), 4th minute; 2, South Kitsap, Dallas Brewster, 36th.

Second half: 3, South Kitsap, Arper, 43rd; 4, South Kitsap, Brewster, 68th.