Puyallup girls soccer finds style, not system the reason for success

The Puyallup High girls soccer program seems to have figured what it takes to thrive in the Class 4A South Puget Sound League South Division.

When teams come to play the Vikings at Sparks Stadium, there seems to be a flow with Puyallup’s squad that opponents just can’t match. It’s the uniqueness of choosing a playing style — or philosophy — over a more traditional approach of adhering to a rigid system.

It’s drawing a growing respect from rival coaches.

“When you play that team (the Vikings), you see those girls represent what it means play for Puyallup,” Rogers girls coach J.R. Farias said.

It’s this single respected aspect that has led Puyallup to four consecutive playoff appearances with one SPSL title (2012) and a couple of second-place finishes (2013 and 2014).

“It’s nice, but when I got to Puyallup, we were just a bunch of nice kids — we were a bunch of nice kids,” said White with a laugh after recalling when he took over the girls program in 2010. “But it doesn’t come by accident — we work at it.”

Puyallup (1-0-1) has built a reputation as a soccer school. Under White’s command, the boys team has been a consistent model of success, winning last year’s league title after going undefeated in league play.

“The boys have gone to the playoffs in what it seems like forever,” White joked.

But for the girls team? It was a different case as they were inconsistent as they were talented. So when White took over, it was about finding a way to create a culture of success — for both programs.

“We wanted to be able to compete no matter who we played against,” White said. “That’s the mother of invention right there with ‘How do we compete with quality teams?’ or ‘How do we compete the right way?’ So that just drove us.”

It’s a drive to finding what Puyallup soccer stands for.

Many teams and coaches struggle with this identity crisis, much of what Farias is dealing with at Rogers in turning that program around.

Emulation is the ultimate form of flattery.

“Some coaches think it’s system of ‘I just need to find the right system,’” White said. “But I don’t think it’s system. I think it goes back the fundamental style of play that you are. So we coach a style, and then we can coach any system out of that. We choose players where (they) would fit in our style of play.”

It’s a style that encapsulate what it means to play soccer: 11 equals 1.

“We all get along well and Coach White helps us get along with each other,” senior Saige Lyons said. “We play for each other, and work hard for our team.”

“We’re a really positive team, and we get along really well — it’s just great atmosphere to be a part of,” senior Jordyn Bartelson said.

It’s where every player looks outside themselves as individuals and sees themselves as one team. Not such a hard concept to come up with. But a hard one to master.

“It definitely take a lot of hard work,” junior Cammie Wolter said. “And it takes a lot of heart, too, just knowing that we’ve done well in the past having expectations to live up to.”

To meet those expectations, the best starting 11 will play for Puyallup, with the players at their strongest positions for the team — not the individual.

“We play girls where they best fit the system of our team,” White said. “They may play that position for club, but if that’s where we feel they best help our team, that’s where they’ll play.”

Evolving performance

There’s a lot of firepower up front in Puyallup’s attack with seniors Lyons at forward and Bartelson at midfield.

The pair are the key players to Puyallup’s early-season offense. The Vikings midfield depth is enviable among any of the teams in state, but with Lyons listed as the Puyallup’s only forward, the senior captain is a marked player on the pitch.

Even if she’s the fastest player on the field, it will be hard to score if teams key in on her. So Lyons is changing her ways to better the Vikings.

“I’m trying to become a more complete player for the team,” said Lyons last week. “I’m just trying to do a little more things, work the ball a little more and find someone open to score.”

In Puyallup’s 2-0 victory Sept. 8 over Thomas Jefferson, Lyons was the player the Raiders singled out early. At the 5 minute mark, as Lyons ran down the pitch with Raiders shadowing her, it allowed Bartelson to sneak in to score Puyallup’s first goal of the season.

“They focused on Saige on that run, and I was able to get the ball in the middle and kind of tap it in,” Bartelson said.

The schedule looks tough in the early stages, as Puyallup will face four playoff teams in their first five games, including the game against SPSL North Jefferson (1-1) and Thursday’s 1-1 tie against Narrows’ Bellarmine Prep (0-0-1).

It’s the kind of start White challenges his team with in order to make it a stronger team by season’s end.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Puyallup girls soccer finds style, not system the reason for success."