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A tough league soccer opener at Friday Harbor proved Taylor-made for a thrilling Lady Braves finish.

Taylor Reimland scored twice, including an unassisted goal during a frenetic second half, to give La Conner a hard-fought 2-1 triumph last Thursday.

The narrow victory was essential in terms of La Conner’s NW2B title hopes, veteran Lady Braves head coach Amy Freeto said going in.

“I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to start the season,” she noted beforehand, than by, “jumping into our toughest competition and (doing so) on the road.”

It was a stern test, indeed.

Despite controlling tempo and field position much of the opening half, La Conner settled for a 1-1 tie at the break.

Reimland had gotten the Lady Braves on the board first, finding the net off a nifty feed from Kayla Hagen 15 minutes into the contest.

Friday Harbor answered seven minutes later with the tying score.

“We looked great at that point,” Freeto said. “We had absolute control of possession of the ball the first half. We went into the second half confident that we would score more.”

It turned out that the Lady Braves would win this matchup at the defensive end instead.

“Fatigue set in,” explained Freeto, “and as is common in our matches with Friday Harbor, the second half was a frenzy of aggressive play, lots of fouls, and a lot of back and forth action. There were a few scary plays in front of our own goal and missed shots in front of theirs.”

That’s when Reimland came to the rescue.

She notched the game-winner after successfully battling to keep and control the ball in the corner. Reimland emerged from the scrum and managed to volley the ball over the Friday Harbor keeper and into the side of the goal.

The Lady Braves, though weary, held on the rest of the way.

“Knowing fatigue played a big factor in our second half means we know exactly what to work on,” said Freeto, whose club visits Mount Vernon Christian tomorrow, Thursday, and Mount Baker on Friday.

In the Lady Hurricanes, La Conner faces a second key league rival in as many weeks.

“Mount Vernon Christian will undoubtedly pose strong competition,” Freeto said, “and then we get to see how we do at the next level against an experienced team from a larger school in Mount Baker.”

The Lady Braves, 1-0, hosted Concrete in a late Tuesday league pairing.