Community Sports
Sports Beat | New league, same success for girls soccer teams
The fall sports season has finally arrived and the Sports Beat is back to keep you in stride with the happenings of local high school athletes.
The Gig Harbor Tides and Peninsula Seahawks have begun play in a new league. The old South Sound Conference merged with the former Piece County League to form the new Puget Sound League, composed of two divisions.
What does that mean for our local schools? Better competition, which may produce fewer regular season wins and conference championships. But iron sharpens iron and the new league will probably produce teams battle-tested for the playoffs.
Gig Harbor and Peninsula will face Tacoma teams that have proven their athletic prowess in the past such as Lincoln, Bellarmine Prep, Silas, Mount Tahoma, Stadium and Lakes. They join former South Sound Conference competitors Timberline, Capital, North Thurston, River Ridge and Central Kitsap.
Peninsula girls soccer scores a touchdown vs. North Thurston
But the more things change, they more they stay the same on the pitch. Both local girls soccer teams, which have routinely made the state tournament, started out the season with big wins against conference foes this week.
The Peninsula girls defeated North Thurston 7-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Roy Anderson Field.
The Seahawks (4-1, 3-0 Puget Sound League) are ranked ninth among the state’s Class 3A teams by Max Preps. They opened with a 2-0 loss to South Kitsap before beating Graham-Kapowsin, Timberline and River Ridge.
Ella Coates of Peninsula scored two goals and assisted on another in her team’s 7-1 win over North Thurston. Photo courtesy of Peninsula soccer.
The Seahawks wasted little time against the Rams. They took the field to Motley Crew’s “Kick Start My Heart” and immediately kick started the offense. Nora Sutherland scored the first goal five minutes in off an Ella Coates assist.
Coates, a junior, drew two opponents before splitting defenders and crossing to classmate Sutherland, who pivoted and fired a sharp 15-yarder to take a 1-0 lead.
Coates, who ended up with had two goals and an assist, provided the prettiest score of the night when she fired a 25-yarder that went under the crossbar by six inches and left the Rams goalie wishing she was just a little bit taller.
Sophomore forward Maya Rodgers, Coates and Sutherland are going to be tough trio to contain this season. Rodgers showed her foot speed and accuracy with two goals and a nifty assist.
Seahawks’ new coach
First-year Peninsula coach Jose Brambila seemed to favor an attacking style instead of a ball-control offense. With forwards Coates, Rodgers, Sutherland (two assists) and Hailey Shride on the pitch, who can blame Brambila’s attacking offense that continually put the ball on scorers’ feet while they were on the run.
But the Seahawks are far from just a offensive team. They have long and rangy defenders on the back line in sophomores Nyah Hoidal, Sierra Bierman, and Alexandra Cichanski and freshman Brooklyn Mays.
They are backed up by an experienced keeper in junior Brooklyn Finch.
Other goal scorers for the Seahawks against the Rams were Hoidal and sophomore Kayla Adams.
Brambila spent last year assisting departed Seahawk coach Kim Demianiw, who oversaw a Seahawk program that appeared in three straight state tournaments. Before that Brambila was an assistant at Curtis for 13 years.
“This year we’re fortunate to have a good number of experienced players returning that are passionate and have a high competitive drive,” Brambila said. “We’re taking things one game at a time, remaining humble, disciplined, and working on the mental aspects so we can get back to the state tournament.”
Peninsula faces Lakes (4-0-2) at Roy Anderson Field at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26.
GH girls soccer also off to hot start
The Gig Harbor girls soccer team (4-1, 3-0) is cruising with quality wins over Puyallup, Bellarmine, Silas and a 16-0 dismantling of Lincoln on Sept. 24 at Lincoln Bowl. I don’t have enough space to list all the goal scorers, but 16 in one game certainly speaks to the Tides’ scoring ability.
Gig Harbor opened the season with a loss to soccer power Curtis but since has mowed down opponents with effective team play. Max Preps ranks the Tides No. 5 in Class 3A.
Junior forward Elizabeth Hayes, a returning all-league player, leads the team with five goals. Junior Karin Heikkila, a track star, is close behind with four goals and the athletic Sage Sturrock has three.
The Tides have state tournament experience with seniors Nae Humphrey, Kennedy Marler, Elise Miller, Bailey Schroeder, Cailey Ridgeway, Sarena Thoms and Ella Cox.
Defender Humphrey may be the Tides’ most talented player as she plays with a smooth style, is rarely out of position and has impressive skills. Marler is a ball of energy with serious closing speed and accurate passing. Miller can do a little bit of everything at a high level, while Ridgeway already has 28 steals this season.
Kennedy Marler of Gig Harbor. Photo by Bryce Carithers
The starting defenders have been downright stingy with shutouts over Puyallup, Bellarmine Prep and Lincoln. The line consists of Humphrey, Schroeder and juniors Lucy Levi, Molly Leverett and Ryan Rodacker. Junior goalkeeper Ella Conrad has not conceded a goal all season.
Tides’ new coach
Gig Harbor also begins the year with a new coach. Former assistant Robyn Saathoff takes over for the departed Katie Bennett, who is spending more time with her growing family.
Saathoff played for Gig Harbor, leading the Tides to multiple state tournaments and winning conference MVP honors as a senior.
Saathoff is excited to lead a storied program and fortunate to begin with such a talented group.
“I am working to help the girls understand the value of putting in the hard work necessary to be a great team,” Saathoff said. “We feel there is a fine line between good and great, so we are exploring the things we need to do to bring our play up a notch.”
The Tides are back in action at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Mount Tahoma High. Gig Harbor hosts Central Kitsap at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at Roy Anderson Field.
Down-to-the-wire finishes
Gig Harbor and Peninsula hosted runners from Central Kitsap, Silas, Mount Tahoma and Lincoln on Sept. 18 at Sehmel Park in Gig Harbor.
Sehmel Park’s elevation changes offered a test, but several locals used their knowledge of the course to stay near the front of the pack. The talented Cougars from Central Kitsap won both the boys and girls team events, but Gig Harbor’s Taylor Sletner was the individual winner on the girls side.
Sletner turned on the jets during a steep section to leave CK’s Claire Herring alone in the woods. Sletner won in commanding fashion by 12 seconds (16:14.66) over second-place Herring.
Gig Harbor freshman Ella Savage, sophomore Clarabelle Simmonds and junior Ruby Savage finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
The Peninsula girls’ top finisher was freshman Ascher Lascheck, who crossed the line in 19:31.10 for 13th place. Peninsula phenom Electra Higgins was a late scratch from the event.
Taylor Sletner of Gig Harbor. Photo by Dennis Browne
On the boys side, Gig Harbor’s Gavin McKeegan took second in 14:43.39, just a half-second behind Mana Voss of Central Kitsap.
Other top finishers for the Tides boys were sophomore Jack Greer, a second behind McKeegan for sixth place; and sophomore Max Dower, seventh in 16:40.30.
The top finishers for the Seahawks included freshman Palmer Schumacher in 15th place and classmate Wyatt Harding in 19th.
Both teams will run at the Old School 5K at Wright Park in downtown Tacoma on Saturday, Sept. 28. The girls varsity race will begin at 10:15 a.m. while the boys varsity race will start at 10:45 a.m.
Gavin McKeegan of Gig Harbor runs with two Central Kitsap runners on Saturday at Sehmel Park. Photo by Dennis Browne
Tides, Seahawks football both 1-2
The Peninsula football team earned its first win of the season on Sept. 20, defeating Bonney Lake 24-3 on the road. Peninsula (1-2) hosts Capital (1-2) in a pivotal game for both teams at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at Roy Anderson Field.
Gig Harbor is also 1-2 after suffering consecutive defeats to teams from outside the state. The Tides fell 35-16 on Sept. 20 at Roy Anderson Field to Lake City (3-1) from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The Tides outgained the Wolves, 276 yards to 183 yards, but still lost by 19 points. A week earlier, Gig Harbor lost 41-0 to Laguna Beach in California.
Gig Harbor plays at Lincoln (1-2) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Lincoln’s two losses came against Class 4A powers Yelm and Camas.
Mana Smythe of Peninsula. Photo by Bryce Carithers