Peninsula girls soccer looks to get healthy, contend in 3A SSC
Like most programs, every year is a fresh start, and it brings hope that there will be progress built from the successes of the previous seasons.
That’s where the Peninsula High School girls soccer team is in the fall 2021 season Last season was a bit of a strange year for athletics all over the state due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, forcing traditional fall and winter sports to play in the spring.
However, this year things are back to a normal calendar and the soccer team has started off 2-2 in the young season. With strong senior leadership and a high level of chemistry that the players are showing on the field, the Seahawks are hoping to make a deep run come playoff time.
“We’re feeling really hopeful. We had a tough game against Central Kitsap (in a 2-0 loss on Sept. 16) and we just didn’t get the result we were hoping for,” said coach Kim Demianiw. “But we went in with some significant injuries and left with some significant injuries, so that was disheartening… We’re still figuring each other out, but after that CK game, we have to reset all over again and figure out new players and new positions.”
Injuries are nothing new to the Seahawks, either. Because of the February start and lack of conditioning from the players, there were several significant injuries last season which showed in their 1-4 start. But as they got healthier and rallied in the second half of their season, they won four of their last five games, showing resilience.
That is how Demianiw sees her team competing this year as well. Once they are completely healthy, they believe they can be a team the Cougars and Gig Harbor will have to reckon with in the 3A South Sound Conference.
“Once our team was healthy, the second half of the season was an awesome success,” Demianiw said. “We beat Sumner, we beat Gig Harbor; I was really proud of our team. When we think about us in the second half of the season, that’s the game we played and could have played had we not had injuries all along.”
However, it will be a big challenge to find that consistent play when there are still a lot of moving parts that the Seahawks will have to deal with. Nevertheless, the silver lining is that there are now more underclassmen that are getting varsity experience and getting their chance to play and talk with the experienced seniors.
And that’s exactly what the seniors and coaching staff want for their team: communication and chemistry on and off the field.
This year, the Seahawks have gone the unconventional route of naming four captains for their squad instead of the usual two. They are senior midfielders Stella Demianiw and Sinead Duffy, senior goalkeeper Paige Broadrick and senior forward Janae Lewis.
“We have a really good group of girls who are super talented, and I am super excited for what the future is going to hold this season because I think we are going to go pretty far,” Lewis said. “This year we kind of have everybody from each grade, which I think is pretty cool because in past years we’ve had certain grades that are on varsity. And we just have really good girls… We know when to have fun and we know when to be serious.”
Lewis knows what it means to be successful for the Seahawks. She came up to the varsity team halfway through her freshman year, earned an honorable mention on the 3A SSC All-League team and lead the Seahawks’ scoring with 11 goals her sophomore year, and made second-team All-League for the 4A South Puget Sound League last year.
So, it makes sense that she is one of the four pillars on the Seahawks’ soccer team that help builds that chemistry and influences a lot of caring about the other teammates.
It is Lewis’ main goal to be a person that her teammates feel comfortable coming to and talking about anything on and off the field. It will inspire camaraderie and closeness that the team needs to be successful playing together.
“I was lucky enough to be voted into being a captain this year and my goal is to make sure that everyone feels comfortable and confident coming to me with different topics,” the senior said. “Whether that’s something with school or home life or something with soccer, just know that I am someone that they can talk to. And I’m happy because I feel like the whole team feels comfortable doing that. That’s one of the things I strive for.”
Once the Seahawks get through their early-season shifts, they can expect to flex how strong they are in all aspects of the field. The offense carried by Lewis, Stella Demianiw, and Duffy is so hungry to score that they are ready to be on a consistent attack.
And their defense is headlined by Broadrick. Just like last season, once the Seahawks are healthy and ready to roll, they can hang around with the top of the league.
“I expect us to make the playoffs and for them to start to gel,” Demianiw said. “I know that we can do it and I know that they remember that we can do it, so that’s a really positive thing for us to remember. I expect them to be flexible and bounce back from the injuries. Once we’re healthy, I do feel like we can go deep in the playoffs this year.”
Peninsula won its first two games, beating River Ridge 9-0 and Timberline 3-2, before a 2-0 defeat to Central Kitsap and a 4-1 loss to rival Gig Harbor. The Seahawks host Yelm next on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m.