SK starts strong, but comes up short against Battle Ground
Published 1:30 am Monday, March 30, 2026
The South Kitsap Wolves boys soccer team (1-4) fell to the Battle Ground Tigers (4-2-1) at home 3-2 in a tale of two halves March 27.
“The biggest thing I talked about with the guys is really just picking up the communication, because the first half we played well, but we could have communicated better,” SK coach Bill Conley said.
Neither team could get much of anything going in the first ten minutes of the match. The Wolves spent a majority of the time defending their own goal, unable to drive the ball into Tiger territory.
Nonetheless, SK quickly found their offense after midfielder Jesse Booth carried the ball into Battle Ground territory singlehandedly, scoring the first goal of the game and giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead with 26 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Wolves kept it in Battle Ground territory consistently thereafter, with the Tigers getting their first opportunity for a score with 17 minutes remaining in the first half.
“We can’t let up, you know, we got to keep pressing the ball forward,” Booth said. “Sometimes, we were just too chill with it.”
SK and Battle Ground traded possession of the ball for the first ten minutes of the second half, with both squads landing up-close-and-personal shots on goal, but not getting them to find the back of the net.
Wolve defender Reid Allen prevented a Tiger from putting a shot on goal in a one-on-one scenario, but Battle Ground found the back of the net at the 26-minute mark, tying the game up at one apiece. Shortly after, SK let up another goal, giving Battle Ground their first lead of the game at 2-1 with 20 minutes remaining in the match.
SK increased their offensive tempo, but quickly let up another goal, their third within the span of ten minutes.
“We didn’t expect to be piled on like that at the point where we were dominating the game,” Conley said. “I mean, all three of their goals came off, you know, two free kicks and a corner, so set pieces are something we have to work on. If we can get those right, it’s a different ending.”
