Gig Harbor rallies past Auburn Riverside to take 3A district soccer title
Gig Harbor stayed undefeated. Auburn Riverside got its first loss out of the way in a game that didn’t cost the Ravens their season.
In other words, the Tides’ come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Auburn Riverside on Thursday night at South Sound Stadium for the 3A District 3/4 girls soccer championship was one that can propel both teams into the upcoming state tournament with a degree of momentum.
The same can be said for Capital, which beat Kelso, 3-2, for third and fourth place in another game between teams already qualified for state. Kayden Perigo scored twice for the Cougars and Ella Thompson once.
Auburn Riverside grabbed the lead and the momentum from Gig Harbor when Samiah Shell, stronger with her left foot, grounded a right-footed goal from far out on the right wing in the 29th minute. The game had gotten off to a tentative start, with neither team taking a shot in the first 18 minutes.
“We started the game strong, but had a little lapse, some miscommunication in the back that allowed their goal,” said Ravens’ coach Katie Bennett.
Auburn Riverside coach Paul Lewis said the Ravens work to force such lapses by picking up defensively, even with their forwards.
“That goal started with Keely Kliewer putting some pressure and forcing the goalkeeper to come out to the top of the box. The ball squirted out to Samiah and she’s a great finisher,” he said.
When Shell found the net, the Ravens seemed to grab the momentum, but a match between two teams coming in with identical 16-0-1 records was bound to see some ebb and flow.
“One team’s going to get on the front foot for a little bit, then the other team is going to get on the front foot,” said Lewis. “There’s also a tendency to protect a lead once you’ve got it. Maybe there was some of that.”
In the 62nd minute, moments after an apparent second Auburn Riverside goal was negated by an off-side call, Gig Harbor tied it on a shot from out front by Lily Paulson.
“With two really good teams, it’s the little things that make the difference,” Lewis said. “If we played Gig Harbor ten times, there’s going to be a whole bunch of close games.”
Just five minutes later, Alexa Thoms got free on the left side and fired a shot into the right corner of the goal.
Bennett singled out senior midfielder Ella Hatteberg — who played so hard in the cold night air she wound up leaving the field in the final minutes with a leg cramp — Sophia Blake, Sarah Ehler and goalkeeper Morgan Weaver.
“They’ve been consistent all year,” Bennett said.
Lewis praised defender Bella Willsey, who stepped into an unfamiliar position against a strong team and played well.
“There were tons of positives from this game,” he added. “It only becomes a negative if you let it bring you down. Our kids are so competitive, it’s going to annoy them and motivate them for the next game.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 11:18 PM.