The East Jefferson Rivals varsity boys soccer team kicked off their spring season facing Port Angeles High School Saturday afternoon, losing 7-0 to the Roughriders.

Missing several key starters and playing with a majority-freshmen squad, the Rivals were not at full force and the Port Angeles players quickly took advantage.

“We had seven varsity players to start the game; six of those starters were freshmen and the entire bench was JV [players],” Head Coach Robert Cantley said of his lineup.

“I told the kids at the beginning of the game, ‘Just give me a good 40 minutes, that’s all I want to see is that you guys are not afraid to play against a team thats physically big and imposing.’”

The towering Port Angeles team was quick to pressure EJ with a chance at net, scoring a goal at the 10-minute mark of the opening half.

Rivals midfielder and freshman Jameson Henery brought the home team its first semblance of a goal-scoring opportunity with a deep shot from the right side, but the ball glided over the goal with 26 minutes remaining in the half.

A quick-witted breakaway pass from the Roughriders led to another goal for the away squad, putting Port Angeles up 2-0 two minutes later.

EJ freshman keeper Emilio Lopez had a collection of saves in the match, pulling off a leaping, fingertip swat from a Roughriders free kick halfway through the opening half to keep the opponents from netting their third goal.

Port Angeles almost earned another score in the closing minutes of the first half, but two quick saves from Lopez held the score at 2-0.

The Rivals backfield held steady for most of the second half until the Roughriders earned a penalty kick with 15 minutes left in the matchup. Slotting the shot in Lopez’s bottom-right corner, Port Angeles opened the floodgates on a young EJ team.

The Roughriders tacked on another score minutes later, then another three goals in the closing minutes of the game to win 7-0 over the Rivals.

Though his team was blown out at home, Cantley was proud of his boys for putting in a good first half with a severely depleted squad.

“I felt like they did that, I felt like they put in a good showing,” he said. “From the start we only had seven available varsity players.”

Cantley illuminated Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules preventing players from competing in matches until they’ve completed at least 10 practices as the cause for the reliance on mostly junior varsity and freshman athletes for the lineup.

“We have quite a few kids that still haven’t gotten their 10 [practices], and a couple guys with the Knowledge Bowl competition this weekend,” Cantley said. “Since this game came a little bit earlier than normal in the season, we only had 11 practice days available.”

Regardless, the coach is excited to work with a bountiful freshman class this year, with plenty of players getting varsity experiences as they continue to develop their skills.

It’s a “really big freshman class, and quite a few of them play club soccer and select soccer, so they have good skills coming in. It bodes well for the future of the program,” Cantley said.

“In total, I think we have 18 freshman on a squad of 38 [players] so it’s a very big team, the highest number I’ve ever coached here.”

“It’s a good problem for a coach to have; too many players,” he added.

The Rivals were scheduled to face Annie Wright Schools on Tuesday, then face Vashon Island High on Thursday at home.

“We still won’t be quite full strength for our starting lineup come Tuesday, but Thursday I think we should be pretty good on our starting lineup,” Cantley said. “I’m looking forward to those games and seeing how we actually come together as a squad.”