Best of Friends or Best of Enemies? FC Olympia should prove that they are the best in St. Helens division

After ten games in the regular season, it all comes down to this.

FC Olympia (formerly Oly Town FC) finished fifth in the 2023-2024 WISL regular season after a 6-3-1 win-loss-draw record, enough to get a playoff spot and be three wins away from the coveted WISL trophy.

And the first opponent standing along their way is a cross-county rival and familiar foe, South Sound FC, just thirty minutes up north of Olympia.

The league newcomers have unexpectedly rampaged in the league, as seen in their debut game being a whooping 22-6 battering of Snohomish County FC, a club record and the league’s third-ever highest number of goals recorded in a match. They eventually ended the season with a similar 6-3-1 record to the Artesians.

Despite FC Olympia finishing with a higher goal difference (Artesians’ +31 vs. South Sound’s +23), league by-laws indicate the head-on record as the leading tiebreaker. With the Artesians losing once and drawing another fixture against their rivals, South Sound FC won the tiebreaker, had the fourth seed, and had a home advantage for this quarterfinal.

South Sound Football Club (SSFC), despite their maiden appearance in the league, were very familiar rivals for FC Olympia, partly because of the former Artesians that were now in the northern part of town, such as Collin LaBranche, Alex Vogt, and Brett Stallworth. With the history between these two cross-town teams, we’re in for a feisty, not-so-friendly quarterfinal.

nate Boatright

The Artesians will be led by captain Nate Boatright, who led them in assists with ten in the regular season, and Manny Nicasio, who broke the club career goal record in late January with 34 career goals and looks to add further to his tally, leading the goalscoring this season at 13 goals so far.

Coach Nick Boatright’s clear number-one goalkeeper is Isaiah Damschen, who had a good year in shot-stopping and will need to have a big game in the defense to give the Artesians a chance at a semifinal run.

Isaiah Damchen

In an article from the WISL, SSFC coach Derek Johnson recognized the talent of the FC Olympia talisman, and apparently, they have a former Artesian to "stop” Nicasio.

"Collin is a former Oly Town defender who recently moved further north. Manny is one of the most dangerous players in the league, so we will be relying on Collin's experience to help neutralize Nicascio," Johnson said.

Manny Nicasio

In the same article, FC Olympia owner Ryan Perkins anticipates several players could have big outings if they continue their regular season performances.

"Kasey Sidor's goal scoring, Manny and Gavin McLeroy's athleticism, and Isaiah Damschen's shot-stopping have been pivotal this season. Veteran Nate Boatright has also done a good job leading the back line," said Perkins.

Kasey Sidor

FC Olympia expects that their defense, fitness, and physicality will be keys that could lead to victory. The Artesians have worked hard in their training this week, with additional time devoted to film study and breakdown.

And these attributes mentioned should help the Artesians as they have been consistent in their on-field aggression and teamwork this season, stamped on their total of 72 goals scored this season, tied best with current league leaders Tacoma Stars Reserves.

Although their defense has been solid most of the time, there are small instances where errors in the backline were punished with goals, such as the third goal of SSFC against Olympia, where Damschen misplaced a pass that went on the opponents for an open goal and eventually, they drew 4-4. Those should be prevented especially on the most crucial moments of this road to glory playoffs.

And the road to glory for Oly starts with who will have bragging rights of the St. Helens division, which we will find out at the 7:00 p.m. kickoff at the Tacoma Soccer Center on Saturday evening.

Should the Artesians win on Saturday, they must travel back to Bellingham to face off against the Hammers in the semifinals. The Hammers are a two-seed, while the Tacoma Stars are in first place, and both clubs get an opening playoff-round bye to rest their legs. Oly-Pen Force kicks off against Everett City FC in the other playoff match on Saturday at Everett.