North Sound SeaWolves Lose Third Game in a Row

For the second game in a row, the North Sound SeaWolves had a player sent off with a red card, forcing the club to play a man down. The Kitsap Pumas took advantage, winning the Premier Development League match 3-0 in front of about 100 fans at Edmonds Stadium Sunday afternoon.

The loss was the third in a row for the Edmonds-based soccer team, which fell to 1-3. Kitsap, the defending PDL champion, improved to 5-2.

SeaWolves midfielder Gene Tibbetts was ejected in the 34th minute for an altercation with Kitsap’s Danny Medina, who was issued a yellow card. That left North Sound to play a man short for the final 56 minutes. The team clearly wore down as the game went along.

“It was very disappointing,” SeaWolves coach Alex Silva said. “Even if the other team is doing something to you, you can’t react. You have to control yourself and keep playing. It made it tough on us.”

The SeaWolves were already down three starters when they lost Tibbetts. after the same officiating crew gave him a red card in Friday’s loss to the Washington Crossfire.

Mark Conrad was involved in a minor car accident before the match and Quinton Beasley was out for personal reasons.

“It was a tough situation already facing the best team in the league without three starters,” Silva said. “And then to lose a man, it really made things difficult. I thought we played hard but we ran out of energy.”

The SeaWolves were able to keep it scoreless through halftime but just two minutes into the second half, Daniel MacLeod sent a clean cross from the right side in front of the goal box that Ben Truax converted into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later, Greg Miley found himself in front of a loose ball in the box after a long throw in and knocked it in for a two-goal lead. Kitsap made it 3-0 in the 58th minute when Miley found himself wide open on the left side and beat North Sound keeper Claudio Lazar one-on-one.

“We’re having a hard time dealing with crosses into the box,” Silva said. “I think every player is waiting for someone else to cover it. So when the other team gets outside and then sends it in, we’re getting beat.”

While Tibbetts will miss North Sound’s next match, the SeaWolves get Aman back. North Sound will meet the Vancouver Whitecaps U-23 team at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Edmonds Stadium.

“We’re doing some good things, but we need to keep a full team on the field and we need to mark better in the back,” Silva said. “I think if we have our full team here, we’re going to be in good shape.”