SeaWolves put up a fight, but lose friendly to English team

EVERETT — North Sound SeaWolves coach Alex Silva wanted his team to get tougher and more physical, and if nothing else, he got that Friday night.

The SeaWolves scrapped, held, pulled and pushed, and while in the end it wasn’t enough in a 3-1 loss at the hands of England’s Port Vale F.C., it left both Silva and Port Vale manager Micky Adams reasonably happy.

“I wish we would have had this fight against Kitsap (on Wednesday),” Silva said. “We still made mistakes that hurt us and if not for that, it would have been an even matchup. It was better, though, much more quality stuff from us.”

While some of North Sound’s physical play drew laughter from the Port Vale bench, Adams said it was good for his club to play a game like that in its four-game preseason tour of the Northwest.

“It was competitive and we like competitiveness,” Adams said. “It was physical. Not overly physical but our league is a physical league and so it’s good for us to play a physical game at this point.”

In a light drizzle before about 200 fans, North Sound played its second consecutive game against a professional team. After Wednesday’s 7-2 loss to Premier Development League Northwest Division champion Kitsap, the SeaWolves showed better against Port Vale, a club that plays in England’s League Two, the fourth-highest level of pro soccer in the country.

Still, North Sound continued to struggle defensively, too often leaving players undefended and giving up easy shots. If not for another dazzling showing by keeper Claudio Lazar, the score may have been worse, and as it is, the SeaWolves have allowed 18 goals in their past four games.

“I think sometimes our defense isn’t on the same page,” said Lazar, who drew praise from Adams after the match for his performance. “We need to have better communication and make better personal decisions. We have to take care of the details of defense because when you don’t against a team like this, they’re going to take advantage of it.”

Port Vale first took advantage of a defensive lapse in the 17th minute when forward Marc Richards — who has led his club in scoring the past three seasons — flicked in a header for a 1-0 lead. Richards, though, went down with an injured right ankle after a collision with Lazar five minutes later and ended up on crutches.

His replacement, Sean Rigg, proved able in Richards’ absence, receiving a cross wide open in the goal box and easily finishing in the 31st minute to send his team into the half ahead 2-0.

“Our pressure at the beginning of the game wasn’t there,” Silva said. “Late in the first half and then in the second half we were able to pick it up and that was good to see.”

Indeed, North Sound did have its chances, getting off several shots though most ended up wide. Abdu Aman had a good shot just after halftime only to have it saved by keeper Stuart Tomlinson. Port Vale responded by going up 3-0 when Lewis Haldane fired a shot to the back of the net after North Sound failed to clear the ball well out of the box.

The SeaWolves finally got on the scoreboard in the 56th minute when Aman sent a ball across the goal box to a waiting Brady Ballew and the former Marysville Pilchuck star hit an outstanding half-volley past Tomlinson for his fourth goal of the season.

“They’re a very good team,” Adams said. “They’re young, they’re enthusiastic, their keeper played very well. It’s been a very worthwhile trip for us.”

The chance to play against a professional European team also seems to be worthwhile for North Sound, which has two games remaining in its inaugural season. After three lackluster matches, if nothing else, the SeaWolves showed some fight against the English pros.

“Our guys get to see what it takes to be at that level, to see how they perform on the field and how they carry themselves,” Silva said. “It’s great for our young guys to see that.”

“It was a fair result,” Lazar added. “We made mistakes and they capitalized and they’re professionals, they’re supposed to do that. They’re at a different level than us. But to be able to play in a competitive game like that and to assess ourselves against a professional team, it was a great experience and gives us a great memory.”