By TIM ADAMS

Sports editor

Misfortunes and heartbreaking one-goal losses suffered by the Oak Harbor High School soccer team in past seasons are being turned around as the 2009 season unfolds.

Coming off a 4-2 victory at Stanwood Thursday evening to even their WesCo North season record at 1-1, the Wildcats played a strong second half on defense Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Memorial Stadium and were rewarded with a 2-1 win over Everett.

“Today was a big win for us. Of course they’re all big wins when you are trying to crawl out of the bottom,” coach Steve Barker said.

Saturday’s victory over the Seagulls made two, which is one more win than the Wildcats recorded during the entire 2008 season when they finished 1-14-1.

The match started out badly when Everett junior forward Eric Ofori beat Oak Harbor goal keeper Jack O’Neil with a shot in the lower left corner of the net after just 40 seconds had elapsed. However, that would be the final goal of the day for the Seagulls.

At the 12-minute mark of the first half, Kevin Flavin scored for Oak Harbor to tie the game.

The senior made a good shot on the Everett goal that keeper Tanner Jelinek turned away, but Flavin got his own rebound and beat the fallen Jelinek with a shot in the upper left corner of the net.

“The midfielders were hitting really good balls and I was finishing the best I could,” Flavin said. “It worked out for us today.”

Then, with 14 minutes remaining until halftime, Flavin was fouled in front of the Seagull net and drilled the ball past Jelinek on a penalty kick with what proved to be the game-winner.

In the second half Oak Harbor controlled the tempo, played a strong game at the defensive end of the field and O’Neil was up to the task in the net, shutting down the Seagulls for the final 40 minutes.

Flavin nearly got his third goal of the game when his hard shot hit the crossbar above Jelinek’s head with 11 minutes remaining.

“We did a good job but we’ve got more to do, that’s all I have to say,” Barker said.