Champs: Franklin Pierce tears through 2A districts, beats Fife in title game
Cristian Herrera-Alavez couldn’t believe his eyes. His stood for a moment frozen near midfield at Franklin Pierce High School on a sun-soaked Saturday afternoon, where the host Cardinals were playing the Fife Trojans in the 2A District 2/3 boys soccer championship game.
Herrera-Alavez had no intention of trying to score from about 50 yards out on a free kick. His cross, intended to find the head of a teammate, floated toward the back post of the goal. It looked like a routine save for the Fife keeper, but went through his hands. Goal.
“I always try to cross it in but I hit it too hard and I thought it was going to go over,” Herrera-Alavez said. “I see it go through the keeper’s hands and I just didn’t know what to do. I just stood still, I didn’t know what to say, how to react. I’ve never really scored a goal like that.”
It’s one he’ll talk years from now about with his friends and teammates — remember that goal I scored in the district championship game? It was the second goal of the day for Franklin Pierce and sealed the 2-0 win and district title.
Aaron Calvo-Guillen got the Cardinals on the board first, connecting on a ping-ponging ball off a corner kick in the 16th minute to open the game’s scoring. Franklin Pierce’s defense did the rest, preserving a clean sheet and never allowing Fife’s offense to seriously threaten.
“It means so much,” said senior defender Preston Soeum, who alongside twin brother Marvin, have been two of the league’s best players since stepping on campus. “Last year, we got second (in districts) and we all remember that feeling. … We knew what (Fife) were doing, the same thing over and over and they can’t guard us.”
Franklin Pierce tore through the district tournament in convincing fashion, beating Bremerton 6-0 in the opening game before dispatching Foster in the semifinals, 4-0. The Cardinals didn’t give up a single goal in tournament play.
“It’s just more like talking with the back line and we’ve all gotta be connected, telling where I go and you should go, so none of us get mixed up,” Herrera-Alavez said.
Franklin Pierce has been a regular participant in the state tournament the past few seasons, but haven’t advanced past the quarterfinals. The Cardinals will be rewarded with a good seed after winning the district tournament. Could this be the year Franklin Pierce makes a run?
“It would take a lot of motivation and courage,” Soeum said. “I think being district champs, we scare everybody else in state. It would mean so much to my whole team and my brother.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2024 at 5:24 PM.
