Fairhurst scores six as Oly Town FC retaliates against Everett City, 13-6

Carried by six goals from forward Jason Fairhurst, the Oly Town Artesians FC avenged their only loss of the season so far by thumping a distraught Everett City FC, 13-6, in the so-called “grudge match” in front of a boisterous home crowd at the Evergreen State College Pavilion Saturday night, January  21, as the 2022-23 Western Indoor Soccer League action continues.

Fairhurst, a Saint Martin’s University graduate and native of Snohomish, had the game of his life as he bagged two hat tricks, one in each half of the match, as he tied the opposition’s goal tally of six and broke the Artesians’ club record for most individual goals scored in an arena soccer game in club history, a historic milestone for the lad who was also rostered in the Artesians’ 2022 USL League Two squad.

“It felt pretty unbelievable,” said Fairhurst. “It just felt like all my shots were dropping, and I was just in the right place at the right time. It felt like I was in a flow state. Both of these records aren’t ones you can reach on your own and being able to break them is a testament to the squad we’ve brought together this year.”

“Jason is such an important player for us,” said Head Coach Nick Boatright. “He was very special tonight and it is fitting that he broke the single-game record because he is that caliber of player. I have always liked his ability to turn, his ‘1v1’ ability and his scrappiness.”

Another standout performance in the grudge match was Manny Nicasio, who has been crucial in breaking down the Everett City defense as he tallied in 4 goals and 3 assists for Oly Town FC and would not be overshadowed by Fairhurst’s record-breaking night.

“I’m really glad we beat them. I didn’t get to play against them (Everett) the first time due to a rib injury and I felt like I could’ve helped the team out,” said Nicasio. “Today, it felt great contributing to the team’s win.”

The Artesians avoided the same mistakes that led them to their first loss early in the first quarter as their heavy press on the opposition backline handed them a 2-0 early advantage, including the first of Nicasio’s goals, before Everett sustained the pressure and pulled it back to 2-2, with both goals coming from Cristiano Whitaker who’s all over the arena the whole match, but thanks to a tap-in from Fairhurst as he scored the first of his six goals that night that made it 3-2 in an intense opening salvo.

Oly Town then adjusted their strategy and fielded a taller roster as the second quarter started, perhaps to match the opposition’s offense’s physicality and help with the defense and on 1v1 situations. It worked wonders as the Artesians asserted dominance later on, thanks to Fairhurst completing his first hat trick and goals from Nicasio and Brice Holiday, to make it 7-4 at halftime.

Despite trailing at the half, Everett City made minimal adjustments on their end, as they relied specifically on maintaining a high line as if an offside rule is in effect and committed a bunch of fouls from late tackles, to which Oly Town FC took advantage through the powerplays and set pieces given, and never gave Everett a chance to creep up a comeback, partly thanks to a resolute defense led by captain Nate Boatright and big saves from Matt Stalnik in between the sticks as Oly Town maintained a 9-5 lead after the third.

The Artesians then sealed the deal in the final quarter, as Fairhurst scored two in-swing right-footed curlers to complete his six-goal masterclass, Nicasio scoring his fourth as he received a tap in from a drilled cross, and Joe Sammartino’s goal putting salt in the Everett’s wounds, as they found the opposition running out of gas and having no response to Oly Town’s electric blitz of pacey counterattacks and calculated interception of passing lanes to end the game in style and satisfyingly overturn that one L they had earlier this season.

This massive win moves Oly Town FC four points clear of Everett in second place with 19 points from eight matches (6-1-1 W-L-D record), one of the best starts in all of Oly Town FC’s history. At the same time, they continue to knock on the undefeated league leaders Tacoma All Star Reserves (7-0-0 W-L-D record), which they would face at home on February 4^th for the first time this season.

After still being undefeated at home, the Artesians will travel away to Snohomish on January 28^th to take on Snohomish County FC, or the Steelheads as they are known, which they have already beaten 7-4 at home last November.