Community Sports

Tides rolling through the state soccer tournament

Roll Tides is a familiar phrase around here and it definitely applies to the Gig Harbor boys soccer team.

The Tides (16-2-1) have rolled over 13 of their last 14 opponents to reach the Class 3A state soccer semifinals. They beat Mount Vernon, 2-0, in a quarterfinal on May 23 at Roy Anderson Field.

Gig Harbor’s eighth straight win was a defensive masterclass, no surprise for a team that allows an average of just a single goal per game.

The heady Tides play swarming defense while maintaining positional balance. They blend athleticism and toughness, speed and aggression.

Key defenders

Key players include fundamentally solid senior center backs Ryan Fergus and Cayden Desjardins and junior midfielders Quinlan Pasquale and Owen Bowman. The glue guy who holds it all together is center midfielder Henry Blake.

Toss in a couple of young guns in freshmen left back Mason Dizon and right back Julian Burby, and the Tides are a hard team to score on.

The freshmen “are definitely not scared out there,” Gig Harbor senior Eli Hanson said. “They have been playing hard since game one and have played great for us this year.”

The Tides also employ an important enforcer type in substitute Ethan Trader, who was an all-conference linebacker in football team and returned to the pitch this spring after a 10-year absence.

Soccer is a physical sport and Trader seeks out contact. He gives the Tides toughness and their opponents a few hip checks and hard fouls.

Substitute Ethan Trader brings toughness and physicality when he enters the game. Photo by Vincent Starr

The Gig Harbor defense also enjoys the luxury of playing in front of senior goalkeeper Malachi Wilson, whom Hanson called “the most underrated player on our team. He’s made clutch saves on penalty kicks and in one-on-one situations all season long. We trust him back there.”

Quarterfinal game

Wilson turned away everything he saw against Mount Vernon, but the game remained scoreless until Pasquale put the Tides ahead with a quick-strike goal.

Gig Harbor coach Joe Ross took the proverbial first-goal deep breath, but didn’t switch formations or pull the reins back on his potent offense that averages 3.2 goals per game.

That decision paid off when Hanson provided an insurance goal a few minutes later.

The starting 11 for Gig Harbor’s quarterfinal win over Mount Vernon. Photo courtesy of Joe Ross

Eli Hanson

Hanson, a forward, leads the Tides with 22 goals and has been equally dangerous distributing the ball with 17 assists. It follows a junior season in which he scored 14 goals with 19 assists, often using his barrel chest and thick legs to post up weaker defenders before shooting or pass to sprinting wingers.

“Both of our wingers, Jackson Powell and Jack Learned, are extremely fast and really good on the ball. So if you play it anywhere through, they have a high chance of getting to it and making something good happen,” Hansen said. “That has been really helpful for me because the defenders have to be worried about them too.”

Wingers Jackson Powell (top) and Jack Learned provide quickness. Photo by Vincent Starr

Hanson feels his strength and quick first step are some of his best assets.

“My size kind of allows me to work into defenders and use my physicality for position,” Hanson said. “It’s something defenders usually don’t see, so it kind of throws them off a bit.”

Now the senior wants a state title before he hangs up his soccer cleats for good.

Even though scouts are drooling, Hanson candidly admitted he doesn’t want to play college soccer. He’s feeling some burnout after playing the sport since he was a little boy.

“I’ve been playing a long time,” Hanson said. “I really have throughly enjoyed playing high school soccer, though, but I just don’t think it’s something I want to do in the next part of my life. But a state title at the end sure would be nice.”

Gig Harbor leading scorer Eli Hanson takes a shot. Photo by Vincent Starr

Henry Blake

Senior midfielder Henry Blake, by contrast, is looking to make soccer an even bigger part of his life. He signed to play college soccer at Oregon State, a powerhouse program that finished third at the 2023 NCAA tournament.

“Henry just works really hard and is very technical on the ball and defends really well. He can do everything out there, which is really what we need from a midfielder,” Hanson said. “He draws a ton of attention, so that opens the field and gives us all a lot of open space and time on the ball.”

Blake is a three time first-team all-conference performer. The Tides have a 43-13-3 record during those three years.

Henry Blake, Gig Harbor’s captain and center midfielder. Photo by Vincent Starr

“I really like the makeup of our team overall and I definitely try to move the ball through everybody. But especially through our wingers, Jackson Powell and Jack Learned, as I think they are the fastest two wingers in the state. Learned has track speed, defenders just can’t keep up with him,” Blake said.

“And then Hanson has been great,” Blake said. ”He has good footwork and is smart, you can play into his feet. He has good finishing skills and if people crowd him he’ll find the open man. He’s been racking up goals and assists like crazy this year.”

Mercer Island up next

The fourth-seeded Tides face their biggest challenge yet in the semifinals: No. 1 seed and defending state champion Mercer Island. Hanson said his team respects them but will play without fear.

Gig Harbor coach Joe Ross

“We are just really motivated and after watching some of their game film I think they’re beatable, but we’re going to have to play a really good soccer game to win it,” Hanson said.

The Tides should have a bit of a home field advantage, as the game will be played at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup at 7 p.m. Friday, May 29.

The winner of that game advances to play either No. 2 Shorecrest or No. 11 Bishop Blanchet at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30, back at Sparks Stadium.

Click here to buy state soccer tournament tickets.