Zach Martin / zach@chronline.com
ROCHESTER — Tumwater High School's boys soccer team has a variety of soccer backgrounds.
There were players from clubs, recreational clubs, high schools, and even U15 and U18 teams, so it was a season where they strengthened their teamwork and understood different personalities and playing styles.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for the Thunderbirds in the beginning.
“It was tough at the beginning of the season,” striker Dylan Stevens said candidly. “You never know if you're going to play blind ball. It was a mission, and now we've accomplished our goal.”
You can say it again.
Tumwater is on a three-game winning streak against Evergreen Conference foes and has won three of its last four games overall, most recently defeating Rochester 4-1 in a key game Tuesday night. won.
With the win, the Thunderbirds (5-3-1, 5-1 EvCo) remain in sole possession of second place in the standings, one game behind WF West. Stevens completed a hat trick, scoring in the 35th minute to break a 1-1 tie, and added goals in the second half in the 44th and 76th minutes.
Gavin Cuoio lit up the scoreboard with a penalty kick for Tumwater in the 11th minute.
After struggling to convert chances early in the season, Stevens has been able to consistently find the back of the net in recent weeks.
“I’ve been focused on finishing,” the junior said. “Once we played that first through pass, we knew it was going to work. We kept hitting the rock up the middle.”
Several mistakes were noticeable early in the training season in February. Tumwater returned from a trip to the state tournament and knew this spring would be different with only four players returning who contributed to the varsity team.
Expectations have eased.
“We know we can play well,” senior defender Jakob Kaikkonen said. “We just need to come together. It's all about coming together.”
Following a 4-1 loss at Olympia and a 2-2 tie at North Thurston, Tumwater has now lost back-to-back 3-1 games at home against Centralia and Black Hills.
What followed was a series of disappointing matches.
WF West controlled the game from the start, shutting out the Thunderbirds 4-0 on their home turf field. On the bus home, they talked a lot and tried to find a solution to what was happening in front of them.
“That was definitely a slap in the face,” Stevens said. “The warm-up was terrible, we were trying to lift each other up, but we just couldn't do it. We said, 'That's not going to happen anymore.'
Coach John Hayes' team didn't have much time to make adjustments. About 48 hours later, Tumwater had a date with Shelton, who took the Bearcats to a shootout in early March.
“We played soft and slow against WF West,” Hayes said. “I told them like, 'Guys, we have a gauntlet.' I thought once they got into the game and played, they'd understand that. That's what high school was about. That’s the beauty of soccer.”
What happened next was what players and coaches called a turning point.
The Thunderbirds defeated Shelton 6-0 and started coming together as a team. Their passes were crisp, their through balls got stuck in their opponents' teeth, and their backline was strengthened.
Hayes, who defeated Aberdeen 4-3 in a shootout after allowing a tying goal late in the second half, showed the mental strength of a team with only two seniors and a large number of juniors.
“You could see it starting to click. They got things done,” Hayes said. “They know we still have room to grow. Nobody's perfect in this game. Learn from your mistakes and make your next play better.”
Stevens has been extremely happy with how the last three league games have played out. Tumwater's only loss in overtime was a 4-2 loss to Evergreen in nonleague play.
“It lit a fire under us,” Stevens said. “We're scoring goals in the back of the net.”
Rochester (4-4, 3-2) tied the game in the 23rd minute with a penalty of its own by Justin Goshes. The Warriors took the lead in the first half and had multiple chances to score the tying goal in the final 40 minutes.
Coach Matt Ashton summed up the disappointment by saying there were too many “mental mistakes”.
“Tonight was the game we gave them,” Ashton added. “Mentally, we just didn't click.”
This week begins a big week for Rochester as they travel to Chehalis to take on WF West on Friday. For a team still learning how to win after several years of underperformance, Ashton believes the secret is simple.
“We have to reinforce what they did (well), reflect on the mistakes we made and strive to improve,” he said. “I guess we’ll watch the game film and go from there.”
Tumwater thought there was a chance he could return to Renton for the 2A state tournament, but that wasn't his main goal. His recent play has raised his eyebrows and brought him to the forefront.
“We just push each other up and that gives everyone confidence,” Kaikkonen said.
