Vashon’s soccer girls got a look at Orting’s brand new stadium yesterday. The consensus was field-great, final varsity score-not so great, JV score-great.

Both games on the synthetic turf ended 4-2. The Pirate JV remained undefeated with another win. The varsity played catch-up and finished on the short end of the score.

Anna Osborne races past an Orting defender in the JV game.

The JV Pirates quickly took advantage of a disorganized Cardinal defense with two goals in the first three minutes. Michaela Beytebiere finished the first goal from about one foot on a pass from Taylor Hernandez. Moments later Samantha Clements curved a cross into an open net.

Orting came back in the 12th and 16th minutes with goals by Rachel Peters and Kim Loftus.

Clements put Vashon ahead for good with an assist from Marya Munsey in the 33rd minute. Megan Hackett opened the second half with a quick goal. Bailey Protzellor got the assist.

Acacia Johnson used her blinding speed to almost single-handedly beat the Vashon varsity. Johnson scored unassisted in the fifth minute, then repeated in the 19th with an assist from DaniRae Edwards.

Teal Sigler got one back for the Pirates with a penalty kick after she was taken down in the penalty area in the 36th minute.

Johnson added another unassisted goal for Orting in the 37th minute.

Audry Wilson got one more for the Cardinals in the second half, and Sigler tallied for the Pirates with an assist from Cat Amick in the 76th minute.

The view from Orting's new stadium has to be the best in the Nisqually League, if not the state.

Although I’m probably preaching to the choir, Vashon fans who follow the football team to Orting next week should take a close look at the new facility.

After years of enduring a facility comparable to Vashon’s, Orting built a brand new middle school and included a new stadium and track. The Cardinals can now hold home track meets again, leaving Vashon and Chimacum the only schools in the league with unusable tracks.

The new Orting facility includes covered stands with bleachers on the other side, a concession stand and accessible restrooms near the main stands.

Are our student-athletes, and their fans, worth less than those at Orting?

Pirate volleyball set an example for Homecoming week yesterday while the JV football team did a lot of character building.

Both varsity and JV volleyball teams beat Chimacum 3-0. Now let’s see if the other teams can follow the example.

I watched my nephew help Fife’s JV football team beat the Pirates. Don’t know and didn’t ask what the final score was.

The first half wasn’t bad, but a lot of the Pirate JV played in Saturday’s varsity game and could only play half of the JV game. Some of the Fife parents said they had the same situation, but it didn’t affect them much.

It’s off to Orting in the rain for girls soccer this afternoon. The new ferry schedule on the south end makes it easier to get to the games on time but not way early.

Pirate football: Vashon 55, Life Christian 0. Impressive even if it was “just Life Christian.” I didn’t get to the game, but from the stats it looks like the reserves got a lot of playing time.

Next Friday should start to sort things out in the Nisqually League. The four teams tied for second with 2-1 league records will be down to two behind Cascade Christian. Orting plays at Port Townsend and our Pirates host Chimacum for homecoming.

Rain or shine the Vashon stands will be overflowing, at least until the Pirates, hopefully, put the Cowboys away. Don’t leave before the halftime ceremonies anyway.

I’m wavering between having a booster burger (only one more home game and the burgers are gone until next September) or a Pirate Potato. I have it on good authority that the spuds are a great meal.

Some of the cross country runners went to the Gorge for the Quincy Invite yesterday. Coach Ross tells me that SATs, Tacoma Youth Symphony, injury and illness thinned the ranks of the thinclads on a cold and windy day. The boys who ran did all right though. Aidan Cyra ran the course in 18:32 for 22nd out of 65 very good runners. JV boys Max Johnson and Kenese Parker were 24th and 28th of 65 runners.

Coach Ross reports that Tylor Heit is cleared to resume running tomorrow. Ross says the boys are headed toward peaking just in time for the league, regional and state meets.

Peri Roberts and Kate Straube approach the finish line at the Gorge. -Kevin Ross photo

This could be the year for both boys and girls teams to make it to state. Vashon has sent one or the other team and many individuals, but never both boys and girls teams in the same year.

State is Nov. 7 in Pasco. Girls soccer playoffs could also be the same day.

It could be a tough call: first ferry in the morning and the long drive to Pasco or Sunset Stadium in Sumner in the early afternoon.

Girls soccer goes to Orting on Tuesday. The Pirates beat the Cardinals 4-2 in their first meeting. Orting has been scoring lots of goals but also allowing more than they should, just like the Pirates. Should be an exciting game.

Only watched games two days this week, but a lot was crammed in.

On Wednesday volleyball and girls JV soccer teams went to Charles Wright. Thanks to the volleyball team for letting the soccer girls ride along so they could play another game against one of the few schools in the league with a JV soccer team.

More than half of the 11 Pirate soccer girls who made the trip were recovering from illnesses, and the Tarriers weren’t in much better shape. The Pirates held up and some of the girls got to, or were forced to, play a full 80 minutes for the first time. With a 3-3 tie, the Pirate JV kept their un-beaten record intact.

Down 0-2 at the half, Vashon came back to take a 3-2 lead on goals by Samantha Clements, Taylor Hernandez assist; Megan Hackett unassisted and Anna Osborne, Hackett assist. The Tarriers tied it up to finish the scoring.

Pirate volleyball action in the Tarrier Dome at CWA

We got to see varsity volleyball for the first time this season and it was a good match to watch despite the unusual venue in the Tarrier Dome: rubber floor, strange lighting.

CWA took the first game 25-8, Vashon came back to take the next two 25-19 and 25-12, then things got exciting. The Tarriers tied the match with a 27-25 win in game 4. Charles Wright tied game 5 at 17-17 but apparently had an extra player on the floor. Usually cause to lose the point, the officials ruled in favor of the Tarriers and they took the next two points to win 19-17 and take the match 3-2.

Still an exciting game to watch.

The Pirate JV lost in an equally close match. CWA won game 1, Vashon won game 2 and the Tarriers took game 3. (JV plays a three-game match.)

Katie Chale, right, takes the ball away from Seattle Christian star Terrika Weaver.

Seattle Christian established itself as the class of Nisqually League soccer with a 3-0 win over the Pirates on Thursday.

Prior to the game I thought Vashon had a chance to win out and take the league title. I still think the Pirate girls can win out from here, but the Warriors are a formidable team.

Vashon had some chances earlier in the game, but the Warriors balanced attack and ball control was too much.

The Pirates’ next big challenge is at high-scoring Orting on Tuesday. They beat the Cardinals at home in the first meeting. Let’s see if they can repeat at the Cardinals’ home nest.

The Pirate boys ham it up at Spanaway Lake. Kevin Ross photo

Injuries and illness kept the boys cross country team from full strength yesterday according coach Kevin Ross. But it wasn’t all bad news. The two JV runners got a chance to test themselves in the varsity race and Aidan Cyra set a course PR by more than a full minute.

Team scores — Boys: Seattle Christian 34, Washington 47, Steilacoom 62, Fife 93, Vashon 99. Girls: Fife 36, Washington 50, Vashon 53, Steilacoom 76.

Coach Ross expects the boys to be at full strength for tomorrow’s Quincy Invite at The Gorge.

Pirate QB Quinn Holert looks for a receiver

Somewhere the sun, or the moon, was shining last night. But it wasn’t on the VHS football field. A deluge for much of the game didn’t deter the Pirates from running up a 24-0 halftime advantage over the visiting Charles Wright Tarriers.

Vashon was such a good host that the team kept the visitors in the game all through the third quarter. It almost looked like the teams had switched uniforms as the Tarriers ran up 14 unanswered points in the quarter. CWA’s first TD was a gift from the Vashon defense. Forty yards of penalties on one drive resulted in that first score.

Vashon came back with 14 points of its own in the fourth period.

A couple of highlights from my view point on the sidelines:

Matt Kerns is a class act. Twice he made outstanding catches for long gains. The first time the Tarriers had the Pirates in deep trouble and Kerns’ reception set up a Pirate touchdown. The second time the reception was for another TD.

Both times Kerns simply handed the ball to the nearest official and walked back to the bench or the huddle, no celebration or taunting. Matt, you are definitely a class act.

Another highlight was Adrian Acero’s return to the lineup for the first time this season. Acero adds yet another dimension to the Pirate offense. He runs, catches and kicks.

Next week the Pirate gridders are at Life Christian. The game at Harry Lange Stadium in Lakewood starts at 6 p.m., so Vashon fans can probably stay to the end and still make the 9:30 p.m. boat at Pt. Defiance.

Some Islanders may choose to make the drive to the Gorge Amphitheatre to watch the Pirate cross country team in the Quincy Invite.

Max Johnson competes in the JV XC race Oct. 1. Kevin Ross photo

Weather and the ferries almost upstaged the athletes yesterday as the girls soccer Pirates traveled to Charles Wright and Vashon XC hosted the second and last home meet of the year. According to coach Kevin Ross, wind, rain and trees down on the course delayed the start of the races. That was after some of the five visiting busloads of runners went to the old course at Paradise Ridge instead of the school campus. In the past the visitors would arrive at the high school instead of Paradise Ridge. I guess you can’t win. Once things got going Pirate junior Savannah Krug won the varsity girls race on her new home course. In the boys varsity Steilacoom Sentinel Zach Bryan broke his own course record to take top honors. In the middle school section, Charles Wright runners Sarah Truscott and Zach Hinz were the first finishers. Coach Ross reports there were 43 middle school runners. Good to see so many of the younger runners.

The ferry was late for the soccer girls waiting to head off the Island to Charles Wright, probably partly because four school buses of runners were unloading for the XC meet. We arrived at CWA 10 minutes after the JV was to start, but our hosts allowed us just enough time to get organized and warm up.

Taylor Hernandez and Megan Hackett got goals for Vashon and keepers Larissa Kuhns, first half, and Taylor Knowles and the Pirate defense blanked the Tarriers to give the Vashon JV a 2-0 win.

The Pirate varsity out-played  the Tarriers but the Tarriers got two sloppy first-half goals, both on corner kicks.

Cat Amick and Teal Sigler worked their usual magic in the second half to tie the score and send the game into overtime. CWA’s Natalie Weyerhauser scored in each overtime to give the Tarriers a 4-2 win.

The ride home proved to be hurry up and wait. Hurry up to load the bus and arrive at Point Defiance on time for the 8:40 boat, then wait while the boat was fueled. It finally left at 9:30.

The Pirate varsity’s next game is Thursday, Oct. 8, at Seattle Christian. Vashon needs to reverse an earlier loss to the Warriors to stay in the running for the league title. The JV returns to CWA for a rematch on Oct. 7. They will travel with the volleyball team, so maybe I will get to see some of the v-ball match.

What are you doing Friday night?

Tomorrow (Oct. 2) is the second of only four home football games for the Pirates. Our boys still have a target on their backs even after last week’s loss at Port Townsend. And the Charles Wright Tarriers would love to stuff Vashon’s playoff hopes. Last year Vashon took a close game at CWA and the Tarriers will be looking for revenge.

Years ago the Vashon/CWA football game was the “Big Game,” but with a few WIAA re-classifications the game faded in significance. Now the rivalry is picking up again, not only in football but in all sports. The Tarriers will no doubt have a good contingent of fans to match the Pirate horde.

I got in a little trouble a few years ago for implying the Pirate booster burgers were better than some others on the Island; but my favorite Friday night meal is still a cheeseburger with onions at the football game. They’re only available at home football games, only three more times this year. There are hot dogs too, and usually veggie burgers.

All the seats in the stands will fill quickly so get there early, bring a folding chair or prepare to stand for the whole game.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. See you there

Round up the usual suspects and add a few more. Teal Sigler and Cat Amick scored two goals each after defender Brooke Pringle got her first goal as the Pirates shut out Cascade Christian 5-0 last night.

Defender Anna Jones and Amick each had two assists while Sigler and Carlyle Scott had one each.

Goalkeeper Sophie Nespor and the amazing Pirate defense registered the first shutout of the season.

Tomorrow is a big test as the Pirates travel to Charles Wright. Vashon, Charles Wright, Orting and Seattle Christian are fighting it out for Nisqually League honors this season.

More to see tomorrow: Cross country hosts its last home meet of the season. The new course on the school campus is not as challenging as the Paradise Ridge course, but it is fast and is one of the best spectator courses around; probably the only XC course where you can watch much of the race and the finish from the “comfort” of the bleachers in the stadium.

Today: Volleyball v Seattle Christian at home, boys tennis @ Eatonville.

Welcome to From the Sidelines, where we will observe the Pirates and occasionally other Island sports events.

This week let’s talk about Pirate girls soccer. In case you’ve missed them, our girls scored 14 goals in their last two games, are 3-1 in the Nisqually League and 4-2 overall. The Pirates play at Cascade Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and at Charles Wright Thursday, Oct. 1.

Coach Beytebiere has called this the best team he has had at VHS, and it may be the best girls soccer team ever at Vashon. The Pirates don’t have another home game until Oct. 20, so let’s get some Vashon fans out on the road.

And don’t forget the JV. They are undefeated. Half the teams in the league don’t have JVs, but when there is a game it is usually just before the varsity game at the same field, except for Cascade Christian. Their JV plays at the school in Puyallup and the varsity plays at Bonney Lake High School.

Check the VHS website for the latest schedules and come out for some good futbol.

Goooooal!