Franklin Pierce soccer advances in shootout despite De La Luz injury; Gig Harbor's season ends in shutout
Franklin Pierce High School kept its undefeated streak alive Friday night in a thriller that went beyond full time to two extra periods of play, and eventually into a shootout.
In the shootout, the Cardinals (19-0-2) didn't miss a shot, outscoring Sehome, 4-2, to win their Class 2A state quarterfinals game at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma.
Goalkeeper Noah Carver made several clutch saves in the shootout to lift Franklin Pierce to the state semifinals for the first time since 2009.
"This truly is a special group of guys," Franklin Pierce coach Brandon Henry said. "We played Tuesday, and then we played tonight. Probably could have even given them the day off on Wednesday, but we practiced. They just have so much fun together."
That practice paid off, as the Cardinals were able to battle back from an early 1-0 deficit. The Mariners scored the game's opening goal in the seventh minute.
Dylan Carver scored the equalizer for the Cardinals in the final moments of the first half, off of an awarded penalty kick. He later scored the first goal in the shootout.
The half, regulation and two overtimes ended in a 1-1 tie before Franklin Pierce prevailed in the shootout.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals didn't come away unscathed, as standout forward Gilbert De La Luz left with an injury in the first half.
"He's done," Henry said. "He's kind of been playing with some injuries all year and we're really going to miss him as a player, but more importantly as an amazing teammate."
De La Luz was on a break towards the goal when a late tackle brought him down hard. He was assisted leaving the field, and watching the penalty kicks on crutches.
"He was basically playing on one ligament and he kind of just did the last one," Henry said.
De La Luz was the leading scorer for the Cardinals this season with 24 goals and 10 assists. He was also the 2A SPSL Mountain Division MVP.
The Cardinals will look to continue on with Noah Carver filling in for De La Luz in the semifinals next week in Sumner.
Franklin Pierce plays the winner of Saturday's match between Archbishop Murphy and Columbia River at 8 p.m. on May 25 at Sunset Chev Stadium.
CLASS 3A
Garfield 1, Gig Harbor 0: The Tides' season came to an end in the state quarterfinals Friday night at Interbay Stadium in Seattle.
Garfield’s Costa Colachis-Glass scored a goal for the Bulldogs in the fifth minute, and the Tides were unable to find an equalizer, despite finding some opportunities in the second half.
The Tides (14-1-3) were undefeated entering the game, with their only loss coming in this season-ending shutout.
Staff writer Jon Manley contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 18, 2018 at 10:10 PM with the headline "Franklin Pierce soccer advances in shootout despite De La Luz injury; Gig Harbor's season ends in shutout."