Bremerton, Wash. – It may have been a little closer than expected, but the Kitsap Pumas returned to their winning ways tonight. 

Jason Cascio, Dan Scott and David Gray tallied goals to lead Kitsap past the scrappy Yakima Reds 3-2 on a warm Saturday evening at Bremerton’s pictureque Memorial Stadium. 

The victory was much-needed – and expected – for the Pumas, who defeated Yakima 4-0 in the season-opener in May but hadn’t won a game since June 25, clinging to second place in the Premier Development League Northwest Division.

“It was closer than we wanted it to be,” said Cascio, who gave Kitsap a 1-0 lead in the 13^th minute. “It goes to show we can’t let our guard down and we have to keep our foot on the pedal and play hard for 90 minutes.”

Kitsap needed nearly all 90 minutes to outlast the Reds, who answered each time it looked as though the Pumas would pull ahead for good.

After Yakima had answered two Kitsap goals with strikes of their own, Gray put the Pumas up for good in the 81^stminute on a sublime one-timer across the box off a feed from Stephen Phillips. The ball slammed off the left post and into the net to give the Pumas the 3-2 win. 

“It was massive,” Gray said of the goal, coming two minutes after Yakima had tied the game. “I just got a great ball and I was able to strike it well and get a good bounce.”

The match included a searing succession of near misses for the Pumas, who hit the crossbar an astounding five times.

With a 2-1 lead in the 78^th minute and after having dominated possession, it looked as though Kitsap had gained full control of the game. Then Yakima's Warlen Silva found the equalizer beating goalkeeper Dustyn Brim to the far post after slipping behind the defense.

Then, only three minutes later Gray's heroics bailed out the Pumas. 

“Give them credit,” said Kitsap coach Peter Fewing. “They didn’t have anything to play for and they came in and played well.”

Before the crowd had settled into their seats, the Reds nearly scored in the 1^st minute when Silva made a deep run into the box and pushed a low shot across the goal. But the ball skipped just wide of the left post and past Brim. 

In the 13^th minute, midfielder Matt Fiesen battled and won possession near the sideline deep in Yakima territory then sent a beautiful cross from right to left into the box. Cascio was there to nudge a shot past goalkeeper Claudio Lazar into an open net.

“That was all Matt Friesen,” Cascio said. “All I had to do was direct the ball into the net.”

Yakima’s Kevin Eggen tied the game in the 21^st minute when he got off a header in traffic from five yards out off a set piece, bouncing it off the crossbar and into the goal.

The Pumas had a chance to take the lead before halftime, but Tye Perdido’s header hit the crossbar off another pinpoint cross from Friesen. Cascio blasted a shot off the rebound, but the ball soared high over the goal.

Pumas All-World defender Daniel Scott restored the Pumas' lead  at 2-1 in the 48^th minute, using all of his 6-foot-3-inch frame to soar above the Yakima defense and drill an accurate header off a Cameron Hepple corner kick. It was his second goal of the season.

Scott the brought the frenzied crowd to its feet with what many consider the wildest goal celebration of the season. 

“I kind of out-willed the defender to get to the ball,” Scott said of the build-up to his second goal of the season off a corner kick. “I didn’t see it go in.”

Earning a second-consecutive Northwest Division title though remains difficult for the Pumas (9-1-2, 29 points), who trail the Portland Timbers U23 (13-0-0, 39 points) in the race for first. Portland defeated Kitsap 3-0 at home in June. But the clubs square off again next Sunday, July 17 in Bremerton. Kickoff for that masterpiece will be at 5 p.m.

Kitsap leads the Tacoma Tide by three points for the second and final playoff spot in the Northwest Division as of tonight's conclusion. 

With three regular-season matches to play, the Pumas visit the Washington Crossfire at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Seattle's Interbay Stadium, before returning to Bremerton for the home finale against Portland. 

Tickets to the final home game - "Fan Appreciation Night," - remain available and can be purchased atwww.brownpapertickets.com or by contacting club headquarters at (360) 377-6008.