Whoosh.

Kennedy moved liked the wind at the start of their boys soccer game versus Evergreen, scoring a lightning quick goal the first two minutes of play before holding on the rest of the way for a 1-0 win over the Wolverines at Starfire in Tukwila Wednesday.

Kennedy sits atop the Seamount League with a 6-1-0 record, a loss to Highline their only blemish, and they are followed by Mount Rainier, 5-0-1, with Highline and Evergreen tied for third at 4-2.

This game started out good for the Lancers, but all was not sustained good after that according to their coach.

"That's our problem," said Lancers second-year coach Teddy Mitalas, who took the Lancers to the state tournament last year where they lost in the first round to Southwest Washington's Columbia River. "Against Hazen, we scored in the first 5-10 minutes of the game. And then we lagged off when the starters came out and they (Hazen) scored. Then we put the starters back in and we scored again. But it shouldn't have to be that way."

That is one big problem -- depth of play -- as players rotate in and out of the lineup by Mitalas. But another problem followed the Lancers all through this game, too, coming after the Lancers' early goal scored inside the six-yard box by striker Dewit Kelete assisted via a nice pass into the box from 20 yards out on the right side by Lancers midfielder Malone Utley.

So what was the other big problem, besides substitutes not holding the game's flow for the Lancers? Slowing down as the game progressed.

Mitalas had an answer for that.

"It's a little bit of fitness," said Mitalas.

There were really not too many good scoring chances for Evergreen in this game and not many more than that for the Lancers, for that matter. The Lancers outshot the Wolverines in shots on goal, 8-4.

The Lancers' best of those chances to score on shots was just 10 minutes after their early strike going in, making it 1-0, thanks mainly to Kelete's fancy footwork. The second chance to score in the game for the Lancers, who did look the stronger, more determined team early on, was a good ball dribbled in by Kelete into the six-yard-box and then Kelete passed the sphere backwards to the 12-yard penalty box area. Running onto the ball was the player accepting Kelete's great pass and shooting the ball straight to the keeper.

"We knock the ball around, but we need to close down quicker," said Mitalas. "They came after us."

Evergreen's good scoring chance came from midfielder Jesus Robles dribbling the ball from the 50-yard line area, going by two defenders before smoking all the way into the top of the 18-yard box area. Robles then passed it through the defense into the six-yard box area.

Another player was standing close to the ball but the player did not continue a run into the 18-yard box for Robles' unselfish pass, as Robles could have just as easily shot it on this occassion.

"I was hoping that my player would make a run for it," said Robles.

But he stopped?

"Yeah," said Robles.

Evergreen's best scoring opportunity came with 15 minutes left in the first half as Robles made another move into the box dribbling but the Lancers' defense kicked it out. Besides that, a shot from a long ways (40 yards) out by Robles was about it for the scoring chances for the Wolveriners in this one.

Then, in the second half, amid a couple good breakaways by Kelete ending in shots to the keeper for clears from the Evergreen defense, was the prettiest chance of the game, which came from Evergreen. It was a cross from Dylan Laguire on the left wing, just outside the 18-yard-box. The ball sailed into the middle right to the head of striker Kenny Albright, who headed it from inside the six-yard box...right to the Lancers' keeper.

It was a good play.

"Just no direction," said Albright, who actually did flick his head on the ball well but the angle favored the keeper. Running in on the ball for a diving header instead of being flat-footed inside the six-yard line could have made that play different.

For the Lancers, Nick McCluskey, a captain, made some good chest traps in this game on the nice Starfire field turf. He showed strong foot control and presence in the middle playing center midfield and McCluskey, a three-sport athlete also playing basketball and football, thinks his team is going to be alright as the season goes along.

"Right now, we are still coming together," said McCluskey. "We have a couple new guys playing. We need to work for each other and most of that is being fit and in shape."

The Wolverines, coached by Omar Lara, was talking to his team after the game, giving them words of encouragement in the face of this defeat.

"When you started playing soccer, that's when you started creating things," said Lara, with his players sitting on the grass huddled around him after the game. "Tough game. Too bad we couldn't finish."

The first half of the season is just about through for the Seamount teams like Kennedy and Evergreen and Lara pointed that out.

"We have to play Foster and Lindbergh and then we start through the second half of the season, playing everyone a second time," said Lara. "We cannot lose our heads."

Robles likes what his coach is teaching the team.

"He sets up plays (drills in practice) and we are supposed to memorize what happens next," said Robles.

A couple good coaches here on a couple good teams that look like they will keep their teams moving strong into the fast approaching second half of the season where a lot more matters than the first.

No, no, you cannot lose your heads then.