Freshman Paulson scores late as Gig Harbor knocks off Union, 2-1, to remain undefeated

With the game entering the final seconds, it looked like the Gig Harbor girls soccer team would have to settle for a tie against visiting Union High, a Class 4A program, on a rainy Saturday evening game at Gig Harbor High School.

But then, a moment of brilliance. Gig Harbor freshman Lily Paulson found herself with the ball near the end line, sharply cut it back to free up just enough space, and rocketed the game-winning goal past the keeper.

Gig Harbor won, 2-1, to push the so-far perfect record to 4-0-0.

“I was either going to cross it or shoot, but then I cut it back and all I could think about was trying to make something happen with it,” Paulson said. “When it went in, I was just so excited.”

Gig Harbor midfielder Hannah Carroll, who likely recorded more steps than anyone else on the field, given her speed and role as a roaming “connector,” said the team played well together.

“Our team wasn’t ready to give up,” she said. “We all worked well together. As a team, it was really nice to stay together. No player tried to go 1v1. It was all of us together trying to get other people opportunities. We’ve already improved from where we were last year.”

Gig Harbor dominated the first half, in terms of possession and scoring opportunities. But in the 30th minute, in Union’s only shot on the goal in the first half, senior forward Maddie Goss found the back of the net to put the Titans up, 1-0.

But it was early, and Gig Harbor was confident the team would bounce back. In the 45th minute, early in the second half, Gig Harbor found the equalizer: A Jaylynn Barton’s header off a corner kick, which deflected off a Union player’s head on its way into the back of the net.

Gig Harbor kept pressing, until the game-winner came in the final seconds of the game.

“I knew we had it in us from the beginning,” said senior center back Grace Neil. “We had the possession down in their defensive half the entire time, so when they scored, it almost came as a surprise to us. But that’s soccer. Anybody can score at any given moment. ... I knew we’d dig it out. I didn’t think we would dig it out in the last 30 seconds with a goal from Lily though, so that was pretty awesome.”

Tides’ coach Stephanie Cox was thrilled for her freshman and for the team, securing a well-deserved win, given the team’s dominance from start to finish.

“You just can’t be more excited (for Paulson),” Cox said. “Our team was just pushing and pushing the whole game, and for it finally to culminate in a game-winning goal right there at the end was really exciting for everyone. ... I was just proud of our girls for battling back into the game and finding goals. Their team was competitive and didn’t give us anything easy. It was really exciting just to see all of our players contribute in the attack and do a good job.”