La Conner girls head to soccer post-season

Heartwarming and heartbreaking. Such were the results of last week’s soccer matches for La Conner.

The La Conner girls improved to 4-5-2 on the season and secured a post-season berth with a thrilling 3-1 shootout-round win at NW2B/1B foe Lopez Island last Wednesday. The boys posted their third straight, single-goal, overtime loss, this time to archrival Coupeville on Nov. 1.

Baylee Smith, Aisley Zimmerman and Yami Ocampo-Contreras made shootout goals for the Braves, who were locked in a shutout through regulation and two overtime periods.

Zimmerman took over in goal for the shootout frame and warded off three of four Lopez shot attempts.

“Aisley blocked two shots,” La Conner head coach Maddie Huscher said. “One of theirs wasn’t on frame and one went in. When Aisley blocked their fourth shooter’s shot, we won the game.”

Huscher praised the work of Kendall Lee and Finley Hancock in regulation and overtime.

“Finley had wonderful plays moving the ball up the field and Kendall shut down Lopez’s through-balls as they tried to get through our defense,” Huscher said.

Having already clinched a bi-district slot opposite Auburn Adventist Monday afternoon, La Conner was defeated 4-0 at Mount Vernon Christian Nov. 1 in a match that had no bearing on playoff brackets.

Boys’ soccer

The La Conner boys closed out their schedule with another tough shootout loss at Whittaker Field.

The Braves led 1-0 from the 25:00 mark of the first half until 10 minutes into the second period thanks to a deft shot from left of the net by Kyle Navarette-Higgins.

After Coupeville (6-7) tied matters at 1-1, both teams went scoreless for 40 minutes, including two five-minute overtimes.

La Conner had chances to avoid a shootout.

The Wolves’ keeper snared a rocket off the foot of Simon Bouwens, who later in the half had a line shot carom off the crossbar. With under two minutes left in regulation, La Conner’s Jarrett Hatch sped past Coupeville defenders on a breakaway but his shot off the soggy turf was just wide of the mark.

In the shootout, Navarette-Higgins and Alex Dowery scored for La Conner. However, three Coupeville players converted one-on-one shots from the mark.

“I was proud of how our guys played,” La Conner head coach Galen McKnight said of his club, which finished 2-10-1 and endured more than its share of hard luck this season.

Seven of the team’s losses were by two goals or less, including their final three home contests.