Sometimes, a two-goal lead isn’t enough.
That’s what the Bremerton boys soccer team learned Tuesday against Olympic, squandering a 2-0 halftime lead en route to a 2-2 tie with the rival Trojans at Silverdale Stadium.
BHS forward Matt Olson, who leads the Olympic League in goals scored with nine, continued his blistering run, netting two goals in the first 32 minutes of the game to give his team a 2-0 lead. Olson’s scores came over a five-minute span, the second goal coming on a penalty kick with eight minutes to play before halftime.
But neither Olson nor his teammates would score again.
“I told them at halftime, ‘A 2-0 lead is nothing,’” said Bremerton coach Randy Lund. “When a team gets that first goal, there’s a momentum change.”
The Trojans secured that momentum four minutes into the second half with a Nils Telgman goal, assisted by Phi Phan.
Twenty-two minutes later, in the 66th minute, BHS’ Eli Chastain drug Olympic’s Paul Brumm to the ground inside the box after Brumm beat the Knight defense. Chastain was flagged, setting up a penalty kick, which Brumm converted to tie the game.
Neither team scored over the final 15 minutes.
“They have to come away from that game thinking they dodged a bullet,” Lund said of Olympic. “I think we’re pretty evenly matched, but we outplayed them.”
Olympic goalkeeper Thomas Bryan, an all-leaguer last season, notched 23 saves to keep the Trojans in the game. The Knights also had a number of near-misses, hitting the post once.
“He had some saves that most keepers wouldn’t have made. He won that game for them,” Lund said, referring to Bryan. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”
But Lund said there were plenty of positives to take away from Tuesday’s game. Not only did Olson score two more goals, but the Knights out-shot Olympic and had six corner kicks to Olympic’s one.
“I thought the kids played well,” Lund said.
Olson is on pace to score more goals than last year’s Olympic League leading scorer then-senior Francisco Garcia, who scored 17 goals to go with six assists. Garcia, also a Knight, now plays at Olympic College.
“I told him at the beginning of the season what his role was going to be,” said Lund of Olson. “To his credit he’s stepped up. He’s always been a goal scorer.”
Freshman forward Nick Riders, who was held scoreless Tuesday, has offered the Knights a second scoring threat behind Olson. Lund said Riders’ potential is unparalleled to anybody on the team.
“He’s only a freshman and he’s scoring goals, too,” Lund said. “His development as a freshman is advanced.”
BHS (3-2-1 overall, 1-0-1 league) received its biggest test of the year yesterday when it hosted North Kitsap (2-0-0, 4-2-0), which Lund called “the team to beat” in the Olympic League. Results were unavailable at press time.
The Knights visit Klahowya at 4 p.m. Monday and host Port Townsend April 17 before facing Sequim and Kingston, teams Lund said should compete with BHS for second and third place in the Olympic League.
Tuesday
at Olympic 2, Bremerton 2
First half—1, Bre, Matt Olson, 27th. 2, Bre, Olson (PK), 32nd.
Second half—3, Oly, Nils Telgman (Phi Phan), 44th. 4, Oly, Paul Brumm (penalty kick), 66th.
