By Gerardo Bolong
TACOMA - Injuries that decimated the Tyee girls soccer team lineup plus an unrelenting Port Angeles offense sent the Totems to the offseason sidelines in a 9-1 loser out West Central District III tournament game at Franklin Pierce High School Stadium on Sat., Oct. 27.
With a large underclassmen group able to return, Tyee finished this season at 13-7.
“It was a great season,” said coach Paulo Mottola. “It’s too bad about the injuries, but it happens. I would have liked to see how they would do at state.”
Playing with only 12 eligible athletes, Tyee hit the scoreboard first when senior Jordyn Gifford assisted from the wing for a goal in the first minute by Blanca Solis-Vargas.
Three minutes later, Delaney Wenzl tied the score for PA.
In the 10th minute, Bailey Larson sent the Olympic League Roughriders ahead to stay.
As the encounter ensued, Port Angeles attacked in waves to wear down the hard fighting Totems.
The sparse number of available players adversely affected production on offense and defense for Tyee.
Port Angeles just kept pummeling away against the short-handed Totems to lead 5-1 at the half.
Using different player combinations, the Roughriders kept riding away until the end.
“It was really a great season until the injuries," Gifford said. “I appreciated everyone that kept showing up and working hard.”
Besides Gifford, Tyee graduates Solis-Vargas and Jace Collier.
The rest of the team could form a strong nucleus for next season.
“Losing Jordyn will be tough, but we have a chance to return a strong core group,” concluded coach Mottola. 

 District soccer players for Tyee include Loveah Lodge, Annalyn Sar, Cheyenne Crandell, Ashley Miranda Esquivel, Maria Zazueta-Ramirez, Makin Yee, Mariana Aguiniga, Kordyn Gifford, Julie Cruz, Daniela Baquenado-Lagos, Cinthia Canterero, Blanco Solis-Vargas, Yessica Bello-Luna, Ana Gutierrez, Cha Mo, Mackenzie Sewell, Jace Collier, and Erika Aguiniga-Avila. Tania Tapia-Cardenas played through the SPSL tournament.