Thomas Jefferson’s was the last Federal Way soccer team standing, but their season came to an end Thursday with a 2-0 loss to Tahoma that knocked them out of the district tournament.
The Bears earned their second-round match against Jefferson with a win over Rogers on Tuesday. Jefferson was able to earn a bye in the district tournament by winning the South Puget Sound League Northwest title.
The bye, as it turned out, was not favorable to any of the three teams that earned them. Along with Jefferson, Curtis and Gig Harbor were also eliminated.
Neither Jefferson nor Tahoma were able to muster much of an attack during the first 12 minutes of the game, but that changed in the 13th minute when Tahoma’s Charlie Wilcox found his teammate Cris Garfias racing down the right side of the pitch. Garfias beat the defense and netted the first goal of the night to the far side of the goal.
Jefferson got one good look about a minute after that goal, but the Raiders couldn’t otherwise mount an effective attack for the rest of the half.
Tahoma dominated the midfield, stifling any chance Jefferson had to get a good look at the goal.
“I gotta be honest, I didn’t expect it,” said Jefferson head coach Dave Hanson. “I saw a whole other Tahoma that I hadn’t seen out of the games they’d played this year. They really dominated our midfield. We had our best training all year the last week; I really felt good coming into this game.
“All respect to Tahoma, they played awesome in that midfield. They were the better team tonight, hands down. Not even a question. I don’t know that we registered more than two or three shots tonight, and they were mostly off set pieces. They had good momentum.”
The Raiders came out with more energy to start the second half but still couldn’t keep Tahoma from extending their lead in the 49th minute.
Tahoma earned a corner kick but failed to score directly off it. The ball was kicked away from the net, but it landed at the feet of Robby Guyer. With no one around, Guyer attempted a shot with his left foot. He missed the ball but was able to reset as the Jefferson defenders closed down on him.
His second attempt sailed over a few players’ heads before floating just under the crossbar and landing behind Raiders’ goalkeeper Hunter Bowman, giving the Bears a 2-0 lead.
Tahoma slowed down in the second half but still managed to prevent Jefferson from finding good shot opportunities. They kept control of the midfield for much of the game and, as the half wound down, were able hold the ball in the corners to run out time.
After the win, Tahoma faced Puyallup in a seeding game to the state playoffs on Saturday. The Bears earned the top seed from the district with a 3-1 win over the Vikings.
They went on to beat Kentridge 1-0 in the first round of the state playoffs on Wednesday.
“[Our seniors] are pretty resilient,” Hanson said. “A lot of them have been together for many years. I got five guys who have been here through the whole program. I’ve got a total of 10 seniors. Maybe talent-wise, not our strongest group, but heart-wise and attitude, right up there at being a top group.
“They’re gonna move on in life. A couple kids will play a little bit more after this. But like Nick Hall, he’s been the league MVP two years in a row, tonight was his last night. He’s done. For him, it stings.”
Jefferson finishes the season with an 8-6-3 record.
