POST FALLS, Idaho — The Kitsap Pumas were dominant on the field in their Premier Development League debut Saturday night, and soccer fans west of Seattle can only hope they picked up a few tips off the field as well.
The Pumas are paid professionals and they looked the part in a thorough 5-0 spanking of the Spokane Spiders at The Greyhound Park.
“We’re pretty good,” summed up midfielder Matt Friesen, who played for Spokane the previous two seasons. “This organization has brought out all the steps and given the players all we need to succeed.”
The Pumas’ non-playing personnel hope to look every bit as professional as the players by the time Kitsap’s home opener rolls around May 15 against Tacoma.
For starters, the Spiders — an amateur team consisting of current and former college players and a couple high school players — play their home games 30 minutes east of downtown Spokane at a one-time dog racing track near the Washington-Idaho state line.
The first goal in team history was scored by Tony Kerr off a cutback from forward Stephen Phillips which Kerr slotted into the back of the net. The score held up until just after the half.
Adding their own names to the historic scoresheet were Phillips (2) and Stephen Mohn (1), plus an own goal by Spokane off a cross from Mohn that was headed into Spokane’s goal by one of its own defenders.
A direct red card was issued to the Pumas’ Leon Abravanel with five minutes to play, which, in the opinion of many, was completely unjustified. The fiery defender went for a high ball with his studs up and made contact with the ball — and possibly caught the defender. That was enough for the official to issue red.
One of the Spokane players also was sent off earlier in the second half.
Schomaker entered the game at forward in the 50th minute for Matt Friesen, moving Kerr into the attacking midfielder’s role.
Goalkeeper Dustyn Brim notched the club’s first shutout, minding the nets for a full 90 minutes.
The team was spurred on by a noisy contingent of fans who traveled cross-state to attend.
“It’s a good start,” said coach John Wedge following his first-ever professional coaching victory. “I don’t think we played that well in the first half, but for the second half we passed the ball much better.”
