LANGLEY — The South Whidbey boys soccer team beat the Sultan Turks 2-1 Tuesday.

The team is now tied for a solid second place at 3-1 behind Archbishop Murphy, still undefeated in the top spot.

“In our game against Sultan, the boys had to really step up in the second half to keep the Turks away from the goal,” said Falcon coach Joel Gerlach. “Our goalie, TJ Russell, did an outstanding job, because the Turks were highly motivated, having come a long way from home.”

Ten minutes into the first half, Falcon Henry Mead scored a laser shot from 30 yards to break the ice. Sultan scored to tie it a few minutes later, but Ian McCauley picked up a free kick and set up forward Pat Myatt for the winning goal. There were no scores in the second period, thanks to outstanding defense from Dean Freundlich, Ben Cavelli and Mead — and Russell.

The team’s goalie feels the pain when the other guy scores.

“Making saves is hard work, and when I mess up it affects the whole game,” Russell said. “You have to be right on top of the action every minute. Our defensive guys are definitely making my life easier.”

Gerlach said the team has been working hard and its efforts are starting to pay off.

“We had a great win in overtime against Lakewood last week, when Henry had a fine throw-in and Ian McCauley finished it off,” Gerlach said.

For his efforts, McCauley was named Cascade Conference Player of the Week.

“Yeah, it’s a great honor, but it really belongs to all these guys,” McCauley said.

He added that Mead’s spectacular goal motivated everyone to try a little harder, himself included.

“The ball came to me and I passed off to Pat and he got it into the net. I don’t think their goalie was expecting that,” McCauley said.

For his part, Myatt said he was posting up the Turk defender when opportunity knocked.

“Ian sent me the ball on a straight-line pass, so I slid on the ground and hooked it past their goalie,” he called.

With five goals on his résumé, Myatt now leads the league in scoring.

“I like playing forward, but I’m expected to score, and when I don’t, I feel bad, as if I somehow let my team down,” he said.

McCauley noted that if the team stays healthy, there’s no reason it can’t move into the number-one slot.

And the future of Falcon soccer is looking good, too. Gerlach said the junior-varsity team has outscored opponents 13-3 and is now 3-1 in the league.

Late Thursday, the boys moved ahead of Cedarcrest and King’s with a 3-2 overtime win on penalty kicks at King’s windswept home field. Myatt had two goals in the first half, but the Knights recovered in the second, and the score was tied at 2-2.

Goalie Russell kept the Knights at bay until Eli Berendt put the final goal in the net for the win.

“TJ made two great saves, and our boys were solid with their kicks,” Gerlach said.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday, April, the dreaded Wildcats from Archbishop Murphy visit Waterman Field.

“That will be a major test for us,” Gerlach said. “Our defense, led by Dean Freundlich, is going to be the key against future opponents.”

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