POULSBO — Coach Tony Ayala and Hockinson’s boys soccer team have been in the kitchen the past three years, cooking up a program that can sustain success.
On Tuesday, the Hawks presented an appetizer.
For the first time since 2015 the Hawks were in the 2A state tournament, but after a 3-0 loss to second-seeded North Kitsap, Hockinson only got to serve its sampler platter before being escorted out by the Vikings.
With the youth of this Hockinson side, which includes seven freshmen, the Hawks believe there’s a spectacular entree to come after concluding a 15-5-1 season.
“We have a lot of good leadership with our sophomores and we have a lot of freshmen,” senior captain Teagan Cabebe said. “We laid the stepping stones and I think we’re going to be back here next year.”
The five seniors, including Cabebe — a standout defender — and forward John Charles, did their best Tuesday night to extend their high school careers, but a very talented North Kitsap squad was too much.
North Kitsap scored in the 26th minute after a Hawks’ defensive miscue, as Blake Hoepfinger beat goalkeeper Gianni Ionashku with a curling ball inside the near post. Then, a free kick from Harper Sabari shortly out of halftime fell softly to Diego DeLuna’s head, and it was pounded into the net.
DeLuna added one more for good measure in the 64th minute with a screamer from 30 yards to make it 3-0.
“They’re very technical; they’re very quick,” Ayala said of Tuesday’s foe. “They just play the game the way that it should be played. … We knew it was going to be a big challenge.”
Hockinson, which opted for a more defensive formation to start the game, had some opportunities on the counter attack but never found rhythm. The Vikings took full advantage of the run of possession to consistently pressure the Hawks’ defense.
“Traveling up here and it was a long bus ride, and knowing they’re an explosive team, we just wanted to let the game settle in a bit,” Ayala explained. “About 20 minutes in, we just said ‘let’s go for it.’ ”
The result was more space for the Vikings, who had the technicality to exploit it, but also, a newfound confidence for the Hawks, which realized they’re not far off from competing with the state’s best teams, Ayala said.
“I thought we showed 100 percent we could compete with this team,” the third-year coach said.
