Olympia shuts out Capital in season debut

By Meg Wochnick | The Olympian • Published September 10, 2008

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OLYMPIA - Whatever Olympia coach Tessa Effland said to her freshmen before Tuesday’s game against Capital, the message certainly got across.

Effland gave her freshmen an ultimatum before their season-opening game against their crosstown rivals — either speak up on the field, or don’t take the field at all.

It’s hard to find freshmen to step up in big ways during their first-ever high school game, but thanks to two of the Bears’ three goals by freshmen and solid presence on the defensive end, the Olympia Bears shutout the Capital Cougars 3-0 in their nonleague game on Tuesday night at Ingersoll Stadium. The game was the season opener for both teams.

“We’ve never had freshmen on the team,” Effland said. “They jumped on the field like varsity players, and left their freshmen status on the sidelines. I was really, really proud of the way they came back after that first half. It was an absolute team effort.”

The Bears led 1-0 at halftime, thanks to a goal by freshman Rachel Fleener in the 17th minute. Fleener got the rebound off of Capital goalkeeper Riley Kitchmeier and fired a shot into the back of the net from 5 yards out. But Capital (0-1), with a mostly-new varsity squad after graduating 15 seniors from last season’s Class 3A state qualifying team, kept themselves in the game with their speed as Bears players often times were flat-footed in the first half. But the Cougars also had multiple scoring opportunities as the game progressed, only to see them stopped by Olympia’s goalkeeper, Rachel Green.

“We’re young. We’re rebuilding,” Capital coach Devin Proctor said. “We could’ve had a couple (of goals) in there. One goal can really make a difference for these kids, motivation-wise. But I was really proud of the way the kids came here and competed.”

The Bears (1-0) have 24 players on varsity, and 20 of them played in the game. The offense had no trouble scoring without senior Kelsey Fuik, who Effland called the core of the team. She broke both her wrists and arms in a summer soccer tournament this past summer at Tumwater, but is expected to return to the Bears’ lineup next week. Olympia added both its final two goals in the 61st and 67th minutes, respectively. Ann Armstrong, another freshman, scored from a shot on the right side, followed by Sammi Thompson’s fast breakaway shot, weaving between two defenders in the process.

Capital had back-to-back chances of scoring in a 1-minute span halfway through the second half, but Green made two leaping saves to preserve the shutout. Olympia had 14 shots on goal compared with Capital’s seven.

Prior to her senior year, the 5-foot-5 Green was a three-year member of the junior varsity team, and got her first varsity experience during the second half of the Bears’ state playoff game against eventual-champion Eastlake last season. She finished Tuesday’s game with eight saves and Kitchmeier had six.

“That game goes to her,” Effland said. “It should not have been a shutout, but Rachel stopped those shots.”

Both teams continue their nonleague schedule Thursday. Capital travels to Lakes, and Olympia hosts Tumwater. Both games will start at 7 p.m.