How hard is it to get a single ball past an opponent’s goalie?

Any player will tell you it is very hard, indeed.

During South Whidbey’s 4-1 win over the Lakewood Cougars Monday, junior Grace Itaya hit a hat trick plus one — four out of four into the goal.

The Falcons are currently in fourth place, 5-5 in league play, and 7-5 overall.

The game was held on the upper field at South Whidbey, and the venue offered some clear advantages: it’s cooler (lots of shade trees) and 10 yards wider, offering players more lateral freedom of movement.

Officially, soccer fields can be anywhere from a maximum of 120 yards by 80 to a minimum of 80 by 50 yards (Waterman is 110 by 55).

The downside is the ball gets lost in the trees.

“And the coach has to go get it,” joked Falcons coach Paul Arand.

The Cougars did a good job controlling the ball in the first half until Falcon freshman Megan Larmore was knocked down near the box and South Whidbey was awarded a direct penalty kick; Itaya’s slam sailed right past the goalie.

“There was a measure of satisfaction,” Arand said. “We lost our earlier game to Lakewood because of overtime penalty kicks. And it gave us a little cushion.”

Lakewood scored before the break, then Itaya made it 2-1, beating a player into the left corner.

Despite Itaya’s heroics, everyone on the field contributed to the victory.

Larmore came very close to scoring on several occasions as she slid into the grass under pressure; her kicks were off just slightly. “Going at full speed with the ball, fending off attacks and trying to beat the goalie is something that comes with experience,” Arand said. “Megan played very well today.”

As did Jennifer Shafer and Rachel Harris, who combined to break down several key Cougar attempts to even the score. Lauren Sandri tracked shots and her powerful kicks kept Lakewood off guard and on the defense.

Meanwhile Kelsey Kimmel pressured the ball and provided connections between players at midfield.

Itaya’s third score came from 18 yards out and then, two minutes later, she gained control and powered the ball into the left corner.

The Falcons play next at 5:45 p.m. Thursday against Granite Falls; the girls will provide fans free cider and cookies before the contest to celebrate Senior Night at the half.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.