By Pierre LaBossiere and Michael Carman
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles got a shutout from goalkeeper Anton Kathol and fought off a game Port Townsend team that kept the match close until halfway through the second half, pulling out a 4-0 win over the Redhawks.
Stuart Methner scored two goals and Austin Fischer and Kyler Tourbin added goals for the Roughriders.
Methner scored his first goal in the fifth minute. The Riders’ Luis Galvan nearly had a goal soon after with a shot that hit off the crossbar.
In the 39th minute, the Riders’ Austin Fischer scored on a direct free kick.
“Fischer smashed a left-footed direct free kick from out the 18-yard box that couldn’t have been taken any better. The ball was driven high to the far left upper V of the goal and left the keeper with no chance of saving it,” said coach Chris Saari.
Saari said the Redhawks forced the issue through the second half.
“Port Townsend changed their formation at half and came out with some energy to try and get back in the game. They began to control the midfield and put pressure on the Riders, but were unable to get a goal in part due to consistent strong play from … Kathol. Anton was aggressive tracking down loose balls coming into his box and very strong in the air gobbling up crosses and shots with sure hands,” said Saari.
New Redhawks head coach Robert Cantley thought his short-handed team, despite missing two starters coming into the contest and losing another to injury during the game (defender Ian Kjeldgaard), was better after halftime.
“I felt like we had a stronger second half compared to the first,” Cantley said.
“We were playing more reactively to what they were doing to us, to their speed and we weren’t sticking to our game plan [in the first half].
“So we kind of adjusted at halftime, changed formation, and were able to put passes together and play more aggressively.”
Methner broke through with his second goal in the 54th minute on a rebound header after Gabe Long hit the crossbar with a shot. Tourbin finished the scoring when he got a loose ball in front of the Redhawks’ net in the 64th minute.
Saari named Methner and Tourbin his offensive players of the match, Kathol his defensive player of the match and Fischer the transitional player of the match.
“Their goalkeeper is like a man amongst boys out there,” Cantley said of Kathol. “I was impressed with his physical play. Anytime we got into the penalty area, it was his house and nobody was coming in.”
Port Angeles (1-1) will play an Olympic League 2A Division match today at North Mason. Port Townsend (0-2) will host Bellevue Christian at 6:45 p.m. today.
The Redhawks lost their season opener 3-2 in overtime to Klahowya last Friday, but Cantley was encouraged by the performance against the perennial Olympic League 1A power.
“We had our share of chances to win that one,” Cantley said.
Sequim 2, Olympic 1
BREMERTON — The Wolves scored four minutes from time to force overtime and found the game winner on a Mathys Tanche penalty kick in the second extra period to edge the Trojans on Monday.
“It was fun,” Sequim coach Dave Brasher said. “It was one of those games where we had a lot of chances and just didn’t quite get them in.
But despite trailing 1-0 since allowing a 25th minute own goal, Brasher said his players handled the situation well.
“The kids were kind of calm,” Brasher said. “We had lots of different attempts and it felt like [a goal] was going to come.”
“We had a lot of nice attack. One of those games where [Olympic] had the lead, they were excited and their goalkeeper was playing out of his mind. He had 10 saves at least, including a ripping shot by Mathys that probably would have broken my wrist If I tried to save it and another shot by Adrian Funston low and to his right that was nearly in.”
Sequim outshot Olympic 21-1 in the second half and eventually broke through in the 76th minute.
“We earned a free kick from the right side and Mike McAleer bent one in and Brandon Benson on the back post headed it in,” Brasher said.
“In the first golden goal overtime it was more of the same. Eli Gish shot one just wide from the left side and Ryan Tolberd had one hit the post from the right side.
“Second OT period, Mathys took it in and was going 1-on-1 when he was taken out in the box and he got the penalty kick. He took it and buried it for the 2-1 final.”
McAleer earned Man of the Match for his play and Brasher said Reid Parker was solid in the central midfield.
League-leading Sequim (3-0-0, 3-0-1) hosts North Kitsap (2-0-0, 2-1-1) tonight at 6:45 p.m.
