The going hasn’t been all that smooth for the 1A Emerald City League-leading Overlake boys’ soccer team this season, but the Owls are still finding ways to win.

Playing against rival Bellevue Christian on Tuesday afternoon at Marymoor Park, the shorthanded Owls slammed home three first-half goals while shutting down the potent Viking offense in a 4-0 win, but the injury bug has bitten the Owls hard.

In just the second week of play, for example, team co-captain and star defender Marcus Munoz went down with a foot injury and will miss the entire regular season.

Junior goalkeeper J.J. Cardenas started out on the disabled list and only recently returned, with a number of other injuries to position players causing head coach Bob Bristol to shuffle his lineup like a deck of playing cards.

“We don’t have the depth right now, with all the injured players we’re still trying to find our best lineup,” he said. “Late in the season it’s hard, because a few guys have suddenly had to step up. We were playing with only three subs for a while.”

With the shutout win, the Owls improved to a perfect 10-0-0 in league play and 12-0-1 overall.

AGGRESSIVE OFFENSE

It seemed to be just a matter of time before the Owls would score against the Vikings as they challenged goalie Michael Hussey, particularly in the first half, with 13 shots on goal. Hussey saved six of them, but the Owls finally broke through in the 20th minute with a Joe Dolack header that found the back of the net off a nice feed from the left side by Rohan Kumar who sprinted down the wing.

“That’s one we work hard on to get those opportunities,” Bristol said of that play. “We were able to get a few and finally capitalized on that one.”

Overlake then caught a break when a missed penalty kick was called back because Hussey came out of the box early, allowing Kumar to boot in the Owls’ second goal. Then less than a minute later Gavin Mackinlay powered a shot into the top right corner to put the game out of reach.

The Owls shined in their transition play, dominating time of possession and keeping one step ahead of the aggressive Bellevue Christian defense.

“We were having issues with us holding the ball too long in places, so that was our real focus… to move the ball quicker,” Bristol explained. “I think through the middle of the field we did a much better job with that.”

Although he didn’t see too much action in the Overlake goal, Cardenas impressed with his booming goal kicks, which often crossed well beyond the 50-yard line.

“He’s definitely got some skills,” said Bristol of his starting goalkeeper. “Plus, his kicks are such a weapon.”

ONE-SIDED AFFAIRS

Bristol admitted that the 1A Emerald City League is down this year, mostly due to the fact that the Owls’ main competition, Seattle Academy and University Prep, both moved their soccer programs to the spring, when the 1A state tournament is held.

The Overlake School, which has just cross country for the boys in the fall besides soccer, does not have that luxury.

“They are always rivals to us, but Cedar Park has had a really good year,” Bristol said.

While the Owls’ record may look good, Bristol cautions it may be misleading, especially when compared to last year’s team which also went undefeated.

“One of the things this team hasn’t really done which last year’s team did was to figure out who’s going to be the leader on the field,” he noted. “Although they’re winning, it’s not the same kind of presence they had.”

The one steady leader that the Owls will continue to count on is defender Grant Munoz, who has impressed Bristol with the improvement in his game.

“How much he’s come along with his offensive skills is just amazing to me,” said the 16th-year coach. “He has worked so hard in the offseason, he’s been a great leader for us.”

Overlake, in their 12 wins this season, have outscored their opponents 49-12, including a pair of 7-0 blowouts, and Bristol cautioned that it’s easy to become complacent when wins come too easily.

“We’re focusing on how they can be better, although a lot of our games in the league have been one-sided,” Bristol said, “You have to keep raising your own bar.”

The Owls played again against struggling Bush (2-6-0, 3-6-0) on Thursday afternoon at home after the Reporter’s deadline.

To view more great action photos from this game, visit photographer Matt Campbell’s Web site at www.sportspixs.com/overlake101910