Roundup: Oly-Pen Force women eliminated from playoff contention; men still fighting for the postseason

CENTRALIA — The Oly-Pen Force women needed at least a point from their final game to advance to the playoffs, but couldn’t slow down Twin City Union in a 4-1 defeat.

Their final regular season game saw the Force (2-6) concede two goals in the first 11 minutes and although they peppered the net, recording nine shots on goal, only a late strike from South Kitsap’s Celina Madrid found the back of the net.

Several former local stars made an impact on the Force this season. Their top scorer is another former Wolf in Emily Wilkins, who led the team with four goals. Hailey Parker (South Kitsap) had three goals and Lauren Hudson (Central Kitsap) and Isabelle Severns (Klahowya) each had two.

Spokane Shadow 5, Oly-Pen Force 3

The Force men didn’t fare much better on the road this week, conceding five goals to a Spokane team that had been shut out in its previous two matches.

Joe Sammartino struck twice for the Force (4-3-1) and Gilbert de la Luz added a goal in the 60th minute to cut Spokane’s lead to 4-3, but the home team added an insurance marker with eight minutes left in the match.

The Force are still in the playoff hunt with two games to go as they currently sit tied for second in the Rainier Conference of the Evergreen Premier League. They have a chance to make a big statement in their next match against the conference-leading Washington Premier.

Their final home game of the season takes place at 3 p.m. on July 13 at Gordon Field.

— Mark Krulish is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at mkrulish@soundpublishing.com. Follow him on Twitter @MKrulishKDN.

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