Which South Sound area high school girls soccer teams are state title contenders?
The regular season is wrapping up for high school girls soccer leagues around the South Sound and the postseason is beginning. There are a ton of talented teams in the greater South Sound area this fall and given the nature of postseason tournaments, we’ll likely see some surprise runs by some teams.
But there are a few teams that won’t be sneaking up on anybody. Here are some local teams in 3A, 4A and 2A that have a legitimate shot at contending for state titles this fall.
CLASS 3A
Gig Harbor: It’s hard to describe just how dominant the Tides were a season ago when Gig Harbor posted an undefeated record en route to the program’s first state championship. It’s difficult enough to go through an entire season without a loss, but Gig Harbor managed to make it through without a single draw.
That was going to be a tall order to repeat this season, and any hopes of doing so were dashed with a 2-1 loss to Class 4A Union in the season opener. That loss might have been a good thing for this Gig Harbor team to take some of the pressure off the squad in the 2019 season. Since that season-opening loss? Gig Harbor has been similarly dominant, posting a 13-1-1 overall record and winning the 3A SSC with a 12-0-1 record in league.
Washington State commit Alyssa Gray, The News Tribune’s 2018 All-Area Player of the Year, leads the Tides with 23 goals this season. Gray has a relentless work ethic up top for the Tides and a killer instinct in front of net. When the competition heated up last season, Gray was at her best, scoring 12 of her 36 total goals in postseason play last year. If she can stay healthy through the entire postseason, it’ll be a difficult task for opponents to take her out of the game.
If they do manage to slow Gray down, look for super-sophomores Lily Paulson and Ashley Wright to pick up the scoring load. Paulson has 10 goals and a team-leading 11 assists this season, while Wright has 10 goals and nine assists. And it was Wright, as a freshman, who scored the game-winning goal in the second half of last year’s 3A state championship game.
Bonney Lake: It’s been another dominant season for 3A PCL champion Bonney Lake (15-0-2 overall, 11-0-1 PCL 3A), which hasn’t lost since the season opener against White River.
Pac-12 bound Utah commit Kaylee Coatney leads the team with 27 goals and 11 assists as an attacking center mid.
“She’s humble,” Bonney Lake coach Dyanne Jewett said of her senior star. “Her attitude, she doesn’t want a lot of attention. She’s happy with scoring but just as happy to distribute. She has good foot skills and she’s level headed. With two or three defenders on her, she’s just OK. She has the same level of confidence.”
Coatney’s younger sister, freshman Kilee, also has stepped up for the Panthers this season. Sisters Zoe and Edie Markquart, both underclassmen, are part of a strong midfield, while center backs Tanah Huffines and Sophie Avery anchor a backline that has only conceded six goals this season.
“There’s a lot of depth from the bench, flexibility from a lot of different positions this year,” Jewett said. “This group is so cohesive. They work hard, but also work hard at making each other better people and better players, which is pretty cool to see in sports, across the board.”
Sophomore Serena Cacciatore sits atop Bonney Lake’s 4-5-1 formation and is the team’s second-leading scorer this season with 16 goals, while Ashley Hollenbeck has chipped in 10.
CLASS 4A
Puyallup: Could the Vikings win state titles in both boys and girls soccer in 2019? After the boys won the 4A title last spring, the girls look like a contender, also, winning the 4A SPSL for the fifth straight season with a 3-1 win over Sumner on Oct. 29.
Viks’ coach Matt White, who coached the boys team to the state title in the spring, compared this year’s girls team to a pack of wolves.
“They hunt in packs,” White said. “When a girl on the other team gets the ball, there are two, three girls going at her, doing anything they can to get the ball.”
That mentality starts with forward Sydney Evans, who leads the Viks with 18 goals and three assists on the season.
“She defends like there’s no tomorrow,” White said. “She’s no prima donna forward who’s just waiting for the ball to come to her. She’s going to go to the ball and make things happen. If the ball gets turned over, she’s going right at the center back or the outside back.”
Wide midfielder Kaelee Huetten has chipped in seven goals and four assists and Callie Lowney has chipped in a pair of goals and 11 assists for Puyallup. Midfielder and Montana commit Meredith Udovich brings more talent to the midfield.
White said 4.0 GPA student Elsa Bley is an under-appreciated player for the Vikings in the holding mid role.
“She’s the glue between the defense and the attack,” White said. “She’s just a physical leader. She leads every run, leads every cleanup. She makes every run. She puts in the work. She never stops working.”
So could this team win a title? Given the fluky nature of a single-elimination format state tournament, White isn’t going to make any bold predictions.
“I have no idea,” he said. “It’s just hard to get to the finals. It’s so hard to win the whole thing. You get one injury and it’s like, ‘Thanks for coming.’ There’s just no time to fix anything. … But it would be nice. The girls are working hard. They want to play as long as possible. I think they can play a long time.”
Sumner: It’s been a tough week for the Spartans, with a 2-1 loss to Olympia on Tuesday preceding the 3-1 loss to Puyallup on Thursday. But Sumner (12-3 overall) is still one of the state’s top teams, despite the recent stumble. It’s all about defense for Sumner, led by Seattle University commit McAllister Smith in goal.
“If we’re going to give up a goal, it’s going to be a good goal,” said Sumner coach Robi Turley. “She’s big time.”
The backline is led by Washington State commit Haley Weinkauf and Sumner is good enough at the center back position, that the team’s leading goal scorer is left back Mia Mahaffey, who has the freedom to get forward in the attack thanks to a strong defense.
“She has that confidence of having a good center back and keeper behind her,” Turley said. “The formation we play allows us to get forward a lot and she’s really involved in all our set pieces. She’s dangerous on those set pieces.”
Turley also happened to hit her 200th career win this season with the Spartans.
Kennedy Catholic: The Lancers (13-0-3 overall) have a veteran group this year, with seven seniors on the roster, five of whom are regular starters. When the senior players were sophomores, Kennedy Catholic made a run in the state tournament, taking fourth place in 2017. But then the Lancers missed out on the state tournament last season.
“That was pretty gut-wrenching,” said Kennedy Catholic coach Michelle Beattie. “It was a great lesson, but we’ve kind of pocketed last year. It’s a minimal motivator. For our seniors, the run they made as sophomores is more of a motivator. Knowing what that pressure feels like.”
When the Lancers play together, Beattie thinks they can beat any team in the state.
“They just really work as a unit,” she said. “There are days that they’re so on, it’s almost flawless cohesion. Obviously, we have those off days, too. The unity, when it’s on, it’s remarkable to watch. I hope they can keep producing days like that.”
Midfielder Natalie DeGagne, a University of New Mexico commit, leads the team with 13 goals and four assists. Midfielder Ashley Nguyen, a Western Washington commit, is just behind with seven goals and seven assists on the year. Center backs Abby McBroom and Cassidy Elicker anchor the backline. Scrappy, hard-working sophomore Sarah Eykel sits atop the 4-3-3 formation for the Lancers.
The Lancers aren’t the tallest team, but Kennedy Catholic has 13 players who have scored goals this season.
“They’re really creative girls,” Beattie said. “That’s really fun to watch them get after it. Possession style and taking those calculated risks when we can is kind of our go-to. We have to be that smaller, crafty team, move off the ball and keep possession.”
CLASS 2A
Tumwater: The T-Birds (14-1-1 overall) boast one of the state’s top goal scorers this season in senior Seattle University commit Hallie Bergford, whose 33 goals this season broke the school’s previous single-season record of 32.
“She’s tall, strong, fast, can play with both feet,” said Tumwater coach Brett Bartlett. “She’s comfortable in multiple positions, can create her own shot, create shots for other people. She just works hard. She takes the ball from defenders, has a great soccer brain, and just understands where to go and when to go.”
Tumwater has 14 different players who have scored this season. Senior defensive midfielder Arianna Kee doesn’t put up big stats but might be the most important player on the field for Tumwater.
“She does all the little things,” Bartlett said. “She fills every gap. When a wide player play steps in, she fills in. She just reads the game really well and covers a lot of space.”
And freshman Kaari Little has been a force in her first high school soccer season, leading the team in assists this year.
“She’s a skilled player with great knowledge and vision,” Bartlett said.
“We’re pretty deep. When things go sideways, they come out and play for each other. They’re just looking to do the job. They’re great players and great people.”
OTHER CONTENDERS
4A: Bellarmine Prep, Tahoma, Auburn Riverside, Kentridge
3A: Central Kitsap
2A: White River, Fife
1A: Cascade Christian, Vashon Island
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 6:00 AM.