Senior night victories | A perfect soccer senior night

November 18, 2025 1:30 am
Gene Helfman photo. Lopez keepers Naima Garcia (top) and Huck Henderson make crucial saves in their respective games against Mount Vernon Christian and Coupeville, Oct. 28. The Lady Lobos won in overtime, 5-3, the men 4-0.
Gene Helfman photo. Lopez keepers Naima Garcia (top) and Huck Henderson make crucial saves in their respective games against Mount Vernon Christian and Coupeville, Oct. 28. The Lady Lobos won in overtime, 5-3, the men 4-0.

By Gene Helfman

Weekly contributor

The Lopez ladies hosted Mount Vernon Christian for a much-anticipated rematch, the Hurricanes having handed Lopez its first loss three weeks earlier. The brutal southeasterly on Oct. 28 was the 12th man, or lady. Balls kicked into the gale died before reaching midfield; those kicked downwind flew. Lopez had the wind at their backs for the first half and took advantage, with Iris Ervin-McLean making a run down the left side and blasting the ball past the Hurricanes’ keeper in the fifth minute. Mount Vernon managed a goal 22 minutes later, hitting a ball high in the left corner of the Lopez goal. The half ended Lopez-1, Mount Vernon-1. The field flipped in the second half, and play was concentrated on the Lopez half, Mount Vernon Christian now going downwind. The Hurricanes mounted attack after attack, Lopez keeper Naima Garcia making at least 10 saves! The Lobos defense held, and regulation ended in a 1-1 tie. Two five-minute overtimes didn’t change things, sending the match into penalty kicks. Garcia once again came through with a crucial save while Ervin-McLean, Audrey Roush, and Lulu and Fatima Velazquez scored, giving Lopez a dramatic 5-3 win. Coach Galen Westervelt called it a dream ending to a storybook regular season, “finishing stronger than we have ever looked and 2nd in our District. The girls rallied together and believed in one another’s ability, giving MVC their first regular season loss in 7 years.”

The men faced the Coupeville Wolves later that day at home. Conditions worsened; the wind, if anything, stronger. Despite going upwind, Andris Meissner managed a goal on a deflected shot in the 37th minute for the Lobos’ only score of the first half. Coupeville pressed their downwind advantage, but keeper Huck Henderson blocked the few efforts that slipped past the Lopez defenders. The Lobos had the wind at their backs in the second half, and it showed, Jack Bullock and Irving Ponce-Munoz scoring. Lopez added a fourth goal when Ian Cankusic pressed the Wolves’ defense, Coupeville making a bad back pass that turned into a dreaded “own goal.” Although less dramatic than the ladies’ match, the win was just as satisfying on both offense and defense, the game ending Lopez-4, Coupeville-0. Coach Tommer Roush felt confident that the team would turn its series of late-season wins into postseason success.

Soccer season wrap-up

Boys went into the post-season at 7-4-1 after three straight wins against La Conner, Cedar Park and Coupeville. The Lobos ranked fourth in Northwest 2b/1b play and at the top of 1b standings. In the first round of division play, they lost narrowly 2-1 to Evergreen Lutheran, a team that had lost only once all season. But the Lobos bounced back for a 1-0 victory over Summit Atlas. This moved them to state and a match against 7-6-2 Auburn Adventist on Nov. 8 under the lights.

The Lady Lobos finished their best season ever at 13-3 and opened postseason play with a 4-0 win against Summit Atlas. This put them up against a powerful Crosspoint Christian team, which dominated the SeaTac division and bested the Lobos 8-0. Lopez wound up in second place in the Northwest 1b/2b rankings, atop 1b rankings and barely behind 2b Mount Vernon Christian, a team they defeated 5-3 at home on Oct. 28.