Xander Koenig’s second goal of the game in the 68th minute gave Squalicum some insurance, helping preserve the Storm’s undefeated record in a 3-1 win over in-city rival Bellingham on the road Monday night.
Squalicum (12-0-3, 8-0-1 Northwest Conference), the defending 2A state champion, is beginning to feel like a repeat could be on deck as the team has just one game remaining on its regular season schedule.
“I think, personally, we can go all the way like we did last year,” Koenig said. “It’s easy as an undefeated team to get too far ahead of yourself, but I think we showed today that we’ve got the mentality to crawl out a win.”
The senior, who moved to center forward earlier this season from midfield, scored the game’s first and last goals, and both were made between a flock of Bayhawks defenders.
“Xander’s got a great shot, and he hits those in practice all the time,” Squalicum coach Jose Rodriguez said. “Those low, hard-driven bouncing balls — that’s a Xander shot. Those are tough to stop.”
Bellingham players look for a call from the referee as Squalicum’s Rangi Powar picks up the ball.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Bellingham (9-5-0, 8-2-0 NWC) was unable to find the back of the net after junior midfielder Judah Straight’s score to the right corner of the net during first-half stoppage time.
Despite the loss, the Bayhawks maintain their slot as the No. 2 seed in the 2A District 1 tournament.
“These types of games are usually decided by really small margins, and really key moments,” Bellingham coach Spencer Wolfe said. “I think [Squalicum] was a little better in those key moments than we were.”
Straight’s goal made it 1-1 at halftime, giving Bellingham more hope than it had during the team’s first meeting back in late March.
Squalicum senior midfielder Kylar Carr gave the Storm the lead for good 16 minutes into the second half on a long score across the face of the goal into the lower right corner of the net.
Bellingham’s Sora Dionne (23) clears the ball from the front of the goal.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
The match remained physical but the Bayhawks could not break the Storm’s stiff defense, unable to get a single shot on goal in the second half.
“This second half might be one of the better halves that we’ve played in terms of offensive style and creativity,” Rodriguez said. “There’s a bunch of seniors on this team, and so a lot of them don’t lack that confidence.”
Squalicum outshot Bellingham 15-4, and the Storm only needed two saves from senior goalkeeper Rangi Powar to clinch the victory.
Bellingham’s junior keeper Julian Czopp saved five shots, and the three that slipped by were more a testament to the Storm’s accuracy than it was a knock on the goalie’s abilities.
Bellingham’s Judah Straight celebrates after scoring a goal against Squalicum.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
“Good players are going to finish the ball a lot of the time,” Wolfe said. “For us, I think we did a really good job limiting their chances and creating some on our end.”
With the win, Squalicum clinched the top seed in the upcoming 2A District 1 tournament that begins with play-ins on Thursday, May 4. Bellingham and Squalicum will not have to play a district game until the first round on Saturday, May 6.
The game marked the end of the regular season for the Bayhawks, who should learn their first-round opponent by Wednesday, May 3, at the latest.
“We’ve found our identity a little bit, we’ve given guys confidence and time to grow into roles,” Wolfe said. “We are in a really good place and we’re feeling really confident about the soccer we’re playing at this time in the season.”
Squalicum will play one more regular season game at home against Anacortes (4-6-4, 2-5-2 NWC) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2.
Bellingham’s Finn Burwell tries to control the ball under pressure from Squalicum’s Isaac Grimes.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
