A year ago, Tahoma High’s boys soccer team suffered a second half collapse after leading the South Puget Sound League 4A North, which saw the squad just miss the playoffs.
This season the Bears finished in third place with a stretch late in the season where they won four out of five, including a 4-3 victory over Kentlake on April 30 that sealed their spot in the playoffs.
“I think that was our rivalry game,” said senior co-captain Britton Jolley. “That’s the game we get up for the most and the game they get up for the most.”
Fellow senior and co-captain Danny Soltero said the biggest takeaway from that game against the Falcons was offense.
“The amount of goals we scored,” Soltero said. “I think that gave us a confidence boost.”
At 9-5-2 with 29 points Tahoma finished behind Thomas Jefferson and Kentwood, which ran away with the SPSL North, and four of the Bears five losses to those two teams.
Tahoma’s final two games were against Jefferson and Kentwood which was good preparation for the post-season even if the Bears didn’t come away with victories in either contest.
“It showed us that if we’re not mentally in the game we’ll lose,” said Eddie Espinoza. “We took it as a learning experience.”
Jolley added the scores of those games were not indicative of how the Bears played.
Little more than month ago after the first lost to Jefferson Tahoma’s senior captains said they needed to focus on defense.
Espinoza said they’ve progressed since then.
“Now it’s a whole team effort, not just the defense,” he said. “It starts with the forwards.”
As the Bears prepare for the Vikings of Puyallup High, the first match up in the sub-district playoffs at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Federal Way Memorial Field, Soltero explained the importance of being focused.
“Everything is mental,” Soltero said. “Physically we’re in tip top shape. When we start warming up, our focus has to start there, and also keeping that focus during practice. You don’t prepare for a team, you prepare for a game.”
Now that Tahoma can cross off its goal of making the playings, Espinoza said the team can work toward its latest goals, “winning both of our sub-district games and getting to state.”
To do that, Jolley said. they need to “score… we need to pass a lot better.”
Jolley added that it means a great deal for this senior-laden team to make it to the playoffs after missing out last season by just a couple of points.
“It’s a second chance for us,” Espinoza said. “Especially because it’s our senior year.”
A year ago Tahoma was on the outside looking in.
This year the Bears are focused and ready for the post season.
