Community Sports

Gig Harbor beats Peninsula to claim league soccer title

Posted on October 30th, 2024 By: Dennis Browne

The Gig Harbor Tides (13-1-1) won the inaugural Puget Sound League girls soccer championship with a 3-0 win over their crosstown rivals, the Peninsula Seahawks (12-2-1).

Gig Harbor freshman Nadia Schwab stole the show, scoring two goals on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Roy Anderson Field.

Fans filled the grandstand seats to watch two of the top Class 3A soccer teams in the state battle for supremacy. The matchup did not disappoint. Both teams played the high-quality soccer that befits their combined 25-3-2 record.

Tough first-half defense

Defense dominated the first half. Tides forward Karin Heikkila got free in the middle but was knocked to the ground by the physical defense of Seahawk freshman Brooklyn Mays. Sage Sturrock, the Tides’ do-it-all midfielder, looked like she had a scoring opportunity with a 3 on 2, but the Seahawks’ Kayla Adams flashed in from the side to poke the ball away. Gig Harbor’s Aejanae Humphrey cleared multiple balls from the zone just in the nick of time, before Peninsula shooters arrived.

But during first-half stoppage time, Gig Harbor’s Schwab bicycle-kicked a pass to Heikkila before sprinting down the middle.

Heikkila completed the give-and-go play with an accurate pass back to Schwab. She turned on the jets as goalie Brooklyn Finch charged and fired a shot into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

Nadia Schwab scored twice in Gig Harbor’s 3-0 win over Peninsula. Photo by Larry Kalahiki

Just nine seconds later, the half ended. A dejected Seahawks team, which had played nearly flawless soccer for 44 minutes and 51 seconds, walked to the corner of the field to talk amongst themselves and head coach Jose Brambila.

Good offense usually beats good defense. It was simply a fantastic effort by Schwab, who returned two games ago after missing much of the season due to injury.

“She’s good, she’s really good,” Tides coach Robyn Saathoff said of Schwab.

Tides didn’t sit on a one-goal lead

In the second half, the Tides decided against packing in the defense and trying to win 1-0.

There’s a saying in sports: You have to play to win, instead of playing not to lose. That’s exactly what the Tides did.

“We talked about that at halftime but I just thought why? We have such solid back-line defenders and goalie, so I don’t worry. Plus, we have so many offensive weapons, I mean pick one,” Saathoff said.

Ella Coates of Peninsula and Molly Leaverett of Gig Harbor battle for the ball. Photo by Larry Kalahiki

Peninsula’s Ella Coates almost scored on a missile from 20 yards out in the second half. But Gig Harbor goalie Ella Conrad, who has 10 shutouts this year, scooped it up like she worked at 31 Flavors to keep the Seahawks from tying.

The Seahawks came close again when star Maya Rogers dribbled up the sideline and engaged in a 50-yard footrace against Tides defender Molly Leverett. Carl Lewis would be impressed with the all-out sprint. Thanks to Leverett’s effort, the Seahawks couldn’t get a clear shot on goal.

Breaking it open

But Gig Harbor did on the re-direct possession. Elizabeth Hayes executed a pretty stutter-step, stop-and-go move that left fans oohing and ahhing as Seahawks defenders tried to catch up.

Hayes floated a perfect crossing pass to senior Cailey Ridgeway, who slapped a side-footed kick into the goal.

There was nothing Seahawk keeper Brooklyn Finch could have done. She had to play the middle with multiple Tides in front. That left no time to react to Ridgeway’s shot.

The Tides closed out the scoring when Schwab — who has a low center of gravity and maintains balance through contact — took a pass from Ridgeway in the middle and blasted a shot past Finch.

Peninsula is a proud bunch and to their credit they never let up until the final whistle. But the Tides simply had too many offensive weapons on this night.

The Puget Sound League champion Gig Harbor girls soccer team. Photo by Jarrod Jones

Both teams advance in postseason

Gig Harbor goes into the playoffs having won at least a share of the last four conference titles. Seniors on the team with four league titles include Ella Cox, Bailey Schroder, Sarena Thoms, Elise Miller, Kennedy Marler, Aejanae Humphrey and Cailey Ridgeway.

“I think it’s great my senior year with my best friends and now winning it all four years in a row,” Miller said. “Plus, it’s special beating Peninsula for the title.”

Asked about the Tides’ postseason chances, Heikkila said: “I think we have a good shot. I think this is our best chance this year because the effort is here and the energy plus the team chemistry. So I’m excited.”

Both teams advance to playoff games on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Roy Anderson Field. Peninsula plays White River at 1 p.m. while Gig Harbor plays Kelso at 4 p.m.

Kaylee Dastrup of Peninsula and Elizabeth Hayes of Gig Harbor. Photo by Larry Kalahiki