South Whidbey Youth Soccer Club Islanders boys U-14 soccer team won the division title with a record of seven wins, three ties and no losses.

“Every game we played was a hard-fought game,” said coach Crispin Roberts.

Only one of South Whidbey’s wins had a multi-goal differential.

In the final match, South Whidbey tied the Lynnwood Wizards, 0-0. The Islanders defeated the Wizards earlier in the season.

“It was a well-played game on both sides,” Roberts said. “We had a lot of opportunities, but we couldn’t put them in the net.”

Roberts guided the team to the division title. South Whidbey’s midfielders kept the game in their control by carefully possessing the ball.

This group of South Whidbey boys hasn’t had a winning season before. Roberts credited a change in division, along with the boys’ commitment to soccer. The division switch helped the team, because the majority of players are 12 years old and competed against 13- and 14-year-olds.

“They haven’t let defeat deter them from playing,” Roberts said.

South Whidbey played teams from San Juan Island, Conway, Snohomish, Everett and Lynnwood. The other two tie matches had a 2-2 score and were come-from-behind draws for South Whidbey.

The forwards scored

24 goals during the season, with Will Holbert leading the team with seven goals.

The goalie, Noah Frank, 13, allowed only 11 goals this season.

This team was made up of a combination of U-14 and U-13 players, which meant about half the team played in an age group above their own.

“Congratulations to all the players for a well-earned result on a tough season,” Roberts said.