Federal Way High School has not had a girls soccer team make the state playoffs since the 2002-03 season. This year’s team is poised to change that statistic.
Currently the Eagles have a 5-1-1 record on the year. They are ranked fifth in the state and climbing as their wins pile up. They were good last year when they went 12-4-2, but not quite this good.
“I’ve had these girls now together for two years,” says head coach Lynde Clarke. “They kind of know how each other play and they’ve been playing with each other since they were young.”
The junior-laden team is filled with players who have played for local Federal Way club teams together for years. That experience together is paying off at the right time as the team sits at the top of the SPSL North standings.
Federal Way has been stellar offensively and defensively. Currently they are outscoring their opponents 27-5. They are going into their next game after winning 9-0 over Kent-Merdian.
One of the few seniors on the team, Gabriela Pelogi, leads the team with seven goals on the year. Pelogi, who is verbally committed to Western Washington, attributes her success to the rest of her teammates.
“She’s just one girl that is hungry for that goal,” says Clarke.
Junior midfielder, Audrey Shin, is also having a fantastic year with five goals and four assists on the season.
Pelogi and Shin are both players for the Washington Premier’s Elite Club National League team. They are joined by their Federal Way teammates Hannah Kimura, Samantha Cheever, Brynn Ward and Karina Provo.
“It’s fun and competitive,” says Ward when asked about playing for the club. “You get a lot of opportunities and you get to travel.”
That season will not begin until December and the girls will be traveling throughout the western part of the country for games. For now, they are focused only on their games for Federal Way High School.
The Eagles are now in the middle of a stretch of games against teams that make up the SPSL Northeast. The last of those games may determine the division as they will take on the Kentridge Chargers who are currently ranked number one in the state.
The Eagles are not focused on that match yet, as they are taking things one game at a time. When asked about their goals for the rest of the season, the girls all gave the same answer: “Win.”
