Submitted by Oly Town Artesians
The Oly Town Artesians kick off 2018 by welcoming two time defending Western Indoor Soccer League champion and first place Bellingham United to The Pavilion at Evergreen on Saturday night. It is Wembley Soccer Shop Night and will feature great contests, prizes and more throughout the game. First kick is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Artesians are coming off a 7-5 upset of the second place Tacoma Stars Reserves in their last game on December 16. Goalkeeper JJ Olson made 27 saves and was named WISL Defensive Player of the Week for his effort. Matt Stalnik and Tonbra Akpobodor each scored twice to lead Oly to their first win of the year after dropping their first three games of the season.
Despite the slow start, the Artesians are tied in points with the Olympic Force for the fourth and final playoff spot and are just three points out of second place. Capital High School grad Gabriele Zaccagnini leads the Artesians on offense with five goals while Christian Segovia and Stalnik are second with four scores each.
Bellingham has controlled the series since both teams founded the WISL in 2014. They are 6-0 over three seasons, but the Artesians have played the Hammer tight at home, losing three games by just five goals total. They lost 9-8 in both the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 seasons.
Nick Cashmere and Richard Henderson are tied for second place in the WISL in goals scored with nine apiece to lead Bellingham to a 4-0 record so far this season. They are coming off a 9-7 win over Olympic at the Sportsplex on December 16 and are two games clear of the second place Stars Reserves and Snohomish Skyhawks.
The Artesians and Wembley Soccer Shop have teamed up to offer $2 off tickets for kids in their club uniform from six local soccer clubs – Blackhills FC, TC United, Oly United, Tumwater Soccer Club, Tenino Youth Soccer and Rochester Youth Soccer.
Regular ticket prices are $8 for everybody over 12 years-old, $5 for kids 5-12 years-old, and kids under five are free. Chinqually Booters players in uniform are free all season long with the purchase of a full price adult ticket.
Stay up to date with the Artesians by visiting the Oly Town Artesians website, following them on Twitter, and liking them on Facebook.
