Oly tops CK for first time in a long time

When Emily Zygmontowicz graduated from Central Kitsap last season, the Narrows League suffered the loss of one of the toughest, and best, goal keepers its ever seen. That left the door wide open to figure out who will be the next dominant keeper in the Bridge Division.

So far, that answer may be from CK’s cross-town rival Olympic. Her name? Pepper Fanua.

Fanua led the Trojans (4-2-0, 3-1-0) to a 2-1 win over the Cougars (1-2-3, 1-1-2) on Tuesday, the first time since Sept. 26, 2001 that Oly has topped CK.

“Pepper stepped up,” Oly coach Steve Haggerty said. “She saved us.”

Despite being peppered with 15 shots, Fanua let just one slip by, making a number of great saves, including one in the first half (39th minute) when CK’s Brandi Hamre duped a pair of Oly defenders and sent a high-arcing shot toward the top of the net. The arch was perfectly placed and heading right under the top crossbar, but Fanua leapt up and tipped the ball just over the net.

“Our shots were there, but they were just missing,” CK coach Vicky Webb said. “And Pepper, she’s so good in there that we have to be more accurate. When you play against a goalie of that quality, you have to be precise with your shots.”

The Trojans scored first late in the first half, when Shannon White was able to drill one in the upper right corner of the goal by CK keeper Sam Robbins.

Oly went up 2-0 when Kelsey Anchors, whose speed Haggerty praised, put one by CK’s Paige Berg. CK responded just minutes later as Kate Boyd was able to control a great cross by Hamre to score. And although CK came close on a few more attempts late in the game, Fanua didn’t let anything by.

Haggerty said it’s the type of play he not only expects from his players, but that they expect from themselves.

“(Assistant coach Jeff Trainer) at the end of the game made a great comment,” Haggerty said. “He said, ‘Girls, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you.’ So hopefully this is a confidence booster.”

Webb said the Cougars, looking to make a return trip to the playoffs, must work on following through when opportunities present themselves.

“Finishing is something we need to work on,” Webb said. “Again, it was not for lack of effort. Here we are with our sophomores and freshmen and we’re doing our best, but we’re going to make strides. We’re improving with every game, every practice.”

Since Oly’s 2-1 win in September 2001, CK had gone 5-0-2 against the Trojans, outscoring them 17-6 in the span. Haggerty said the Trojans knew it would be tough to break the streak.

“The kids went in, even though we hadn’t beat CK in a while, pretty confident,” he said. “We’ve got some good players. But still, CK’s got a bit of awe about them. We respect their program.

“We had to play our best game, and that’s what they did.”

Confidence in her team gave Fanua the backing she needed to nearly shut out CK.

“I’m really speechless,” she said. “After the first goal, I felt really comfortable with the team. We just started pushing them and communicating. It just proves to us girls that we do work hard. With our hard work, we’re going to have big success in our season.”

So far, that’s true as Olympic blanked Port Angeles at home Thursday, 5-0. It was the first shutout for Fanua this year.

CK also got back on track, securing its first league win of the season in a 10-1 blowout over Shelton on Thursday.

Olympic will travel to South Kitsap on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. match, while CK will play host to Gig Harbor at the same time. Both matches could have implications down the road as the Bridge Division begins to take more shape.

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CK-Oly Soccer Rivalry

Olympic’s 2-1 win over CK Tuesday was the first in almost four years. Here’s a breakdown since Oly’s last win:

Sept. 26, 2001 — Oly 2, CK1

Oct. 16, 2001 — CK 1, Oly 1

Sept. 9, 2002 — CK 3, Oly 3

Oct. 15, 2002 — CK 2, Oly 0

Sept. 23, 2003 — CK 2, Oly 0

Oct. 16, 2003 — CK 2, Oly 1

Sept. 21, 2004 — CK 3, Oly 0

Oct. 14, 2004 — CK 4, Oly 1

Sept. 20, 2005 — Oly 2, CK 1

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