Gig Harbor High School’s men’s soccer team completed the schedule this spring with a perfect 16-loss record. The Tides, who is averaging 5.4 goals per game, closed out his season with the 3A South Sound unscathed regular in his conference with his 5–1 victory over crosstown rivals Peninsula on Tuesday.
On paper, it all seemed too easy for the Tides, who have been blowing teams left and right. But the key moment of the season came when things didn’t go his way at the gig Harbor.
Against crosstown rivals Peninsula on April 6, Gig Harbor went 2-0 into the locker room at halftime. Tides coach Joe Roth changed the formation to 4-3-3, widening Gig Harbor’s second-half attack. Gig Harbor scored his three goals in the second half to secure a 3–2 come-from-behind win.
“It was big,” said midfielder Derek Johnson. “At that time, we were 8-0 against him.
Perhaps more importantly, the come-from-behind effort showed Ross the character of his team.
“Whenever we face adversity on the field, it will become a reference point that is part of our growing experience,” Ross said. “These boys are proving to be fighters no matter what.”
Johnson leads the team with 17 goals in his first year at Gig Harbor after moving from Arizona, while forward Matt Ludlow is just behind with 16 goals on the season. Jack Larned (9 goals) and Porter Hanson (8 goals) were also productive. Of his 17 players on Gig Harbor’s roster, 14 have scored at least one goal of his.
No team had an answer to Gig Harbor’s offensive balance during the regular season.
“There’s a lot of variation. You can take a sub off the bench and have a big impact on the game,” Ludlow said. “We have different people who have different strengths and show how good they are.”
Gig Harbor has seen every defensive look imaginable for his opponents this season.
“They go into low block or defensive mode to try to compensate for our athleticism and speed,” Ross said. “It’s adversity. You can’t run through lines, connect multiple paths, slice and dice and score. Now we have to think with our heads.”
“This season, scoring aside, three-quarters of the season you had to. You had to use your football IQ, not just your athleticism. will take us to
Gig Harbor will enter the 3A West Central/Southwest 2 District Tournament as the No. 1 seed, taking on No. 8 North Thurston at Roy Anderson Field on Saturday at 7pm. The winner qualifies for his 3A State Tournament.
“If we keep playing well as a team, everyone stays motivated, we work hard every day, and I think we really have a chance this year,” Johnson said.
his teammates agreed.
“We need to play more together and continue to do what we’ve been doing,” Ludlow said. “If you play hard from start to finish, you’ll do well.”
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