EPLWA Weekend Slate Kicked Off with Exciting Matchups Across the State

by Merrick Parnell

The 2025 Evergreen Premier League of Washington (EPLWA) season got underway in thrilling fashion as clubs across the state returned to the pitch for the opening weekend. With high expectations and fresh rosters, both returning powerhouses and ambitious newcomers delivered entertaining performances, setting the tone for an exciting campaign ahead.

A full slate of opening-weekend matches followed, featuring several compelling contests between established clubs and league newcomers.

Saturday, May 3 Results

FC Olympia 2 – Washington East Surf FC 1 (SO)

FC Olympia hosted Washington East Surf FC on the black turf of Tenino High School in the club’s debut match under its new identity, following a rebrand from the Oly Town Artesians earlier this year.

Starting 11 for FC Olympia (FC Olympia)

The match featured a competitive East vs. West showdown under the Saturday night lights and ended in a dramatic 2-1 victory for FC Olympia in a penalty shootout. WE Surf’s Hunter Anderson opened the scoring in the first half before Adrian Erdahl equalized for FC Olympia in the second, sending the match to penalties.

Shootout Summary

Round	WE Surf SC	Scored	FC Olympia	Scored	Total
1	#2 Hunter Anderson	Yes	#2 Alex Vogt	Yes	1 - 1
2	#3 Angel Reveles	Yes	#3 Alex Lopez	Yes	2 - 2
3	#8 Cruz Galm	Yes	#5 Alan Barragan	Yes	3 - 3
4	#8 Cruz Galm	Yes	#6 Alejandro De La Rosa	Yes	4 - 4
5	#8 Cruz Galm	No	#7 Coltan Middleton	Yes	4 - 5
6	#5 Riley Galloway	No	#2 Alex Vogt	Yes	4 - 6
7	—	—	#11 Isaiah Luna	Yes	4 - 7

Bellingham United FC at Rat City FC

League newcomers Rat City FC hosted Bellingham United FC in their first-ever EPLWA appearance. Bellingham wasted no time asserting their dominance, scoring five goals in the first half and adding a sixth early in the second.

Bellingham’s John Lofstrom was the standout performer of the night, tallying five goals and one assist to lead his team to a commanding 6-0 victory in their 2025 season opener.

Scoring Summary

Period	Time	Strength	Team	Scorer (Assists)	Total
1st	42:00	ES	Bellingham United FC	#22 Judah Straight (#6 John Lofstrom)	1 - 0 BUFC
1st	31:00	ES	Bellingham United FC	#6 John Lofstrom (#5 Sebastian Kent)	2 - 0 BUFC
1st	27:00	ES	Bellingham United FC	#6 John Lofstrom (#21 Gabe Jacobson)	3 - 0 BUFC
1st	22:00	ES	Bellingham United FC	#6 John Lofstrom	4 - 0 BUFC
1st	03:00	ES	Bellingham United FC	#6 John Lofstrom (#9 Richard Henderson)	5 - 0 BUFC
2nd	07:00	ES	Bellingham United FC	#6 John Lofstrom (#25 Eli Debleyker)	6 - 0 BUFC

Sunday, May 4

Bellevue Athletic FC 2 – FC Olympia 0 (SO)

FC Olympia returned to action for their second match of the weekend, hosting Bellevue Athletic 2 (B2) in what marked the reserve squad's first regular-season appearance. In a closely contested match, neither side found the back of the net during regulation, resulting in a second consecutive shootout for FC Olympia.

The match was played at Tenino Stadium

Bellevue Athletic FC 2 came out perfect from the spot, converting all five attempts, while FC Olympia missed one, giving B2 a 5-4 edge in the shootout and their first win of the season.

Shootout Summary

Round	Bellevue Athletic FC 2	Scored	FC Olympia	Scored	Total
1	#6 Kiran Menezes	Yes	#1 Alex Reichelderfer	Yes	1 - 1
2	#11 Matheus Santos	Yes	#2 Alex Vogt	Yes	2 - 2
3	#21 Samuel Brendle	Yes	#5 Alan Barragan	Yes	3 - 3
4	#67 Kai Hirano	Yes	#14 Lasse Frindt	No	4 - 3
5	#92 Austin Hill	Yes	#18 Hayden Sciera	Yes	5 - 4