Senior Brandon Durr’s late-match heroics in extra time sent a tightly contested March 21 contest with the Olympia Bears to a shootout, but a single missed shot by South Kitsap sealed the Wolves’ fate in a 2-1 (5-4) defeat in Port Orchard.

The Wolves, who were seeking their first home win of the season, found themselves locked in a match marked by close calls and yellow cards on both sides. Spectators did not see a goal for over three-fourths of the way regulation game, but with 17:33 remaining in the second half, an Olympia corner kick sent the Bears ahead 1-0 and ignited a desperate push from the home team.

“The goals we’ve given up, they’ve been corners,” SK coach Bill Conley said. “There was one Tuesday night and one tonight. It’s unfortunate, but something we’ll work on and bring it back.”

A final drive down the field from SK yielded a penalty for the Wolves. With all eyes on Durr, his foot sent the ball into the net to tie the match 1-1. “It was a tough game,” he said afterward. “They were talking a lot. I was talking a lot. It felt good to give my guys just another chance to try and win it again.”

Conley said of his senior: “He knows exactly what he needs to do on the field, and he knows where everybody needs to be. He’s a valuable player to any team, and he knows exactly how to motivate his team.”

The penalty goal sent the match to an overtime shootout. Both teams made their first two kicks, but its third shot hit the crossbar. Olympia would go a perfect 5-5 on its kicks to secure the victory.

Conley called the performance the best he’s seen thus far despite the team’s third-consecutive defeat on its home turf. “They’ve improved each night.”

It was a particularly rough end to the night for senior goalkeeper Landon Kirby, who kept guessing throughout the shootout. Durr, after the match, was seen backing up his classmate, offering his support. “We can be jerks to each other sometimes, but it’s being brotherly jerks, you know? I’m here for my guys,” Durr said.