SEQUIM — Timing is a large part of what makes Sequim junior striker Taryn Johnson shine on the soccer field.
Johnson has made a habit of scoring goals in bunches in her high school career — numerous hat tricks and braces and that pair of five-score games against Olympic and North Mason this season as she became the Wolves’ all-time goal-scoring leader, passing Brittany Gates, who put the ball in net 41 times for Sequim.
Now at 52 goals in three seasons (one of those a condensed season due to COVID) after scoring a Peninsula-high 26 goals this fall (with six assists), Johnson is the choice as the Peninsula Daily News All-Peninsula Girls Soccer MVP as selected by the newspaper’s sports staff.
“She just raises the level of play, not just in games but in training,” Sequim coach Ken Garling said. “Her presence is such a huge factor for all of us, coaches and players. She makes us all want to do better.
“I appreciate her attitude and hard work as much as her skill set. Taryn is a natural leader.
“She scores goals, we all know that, but her ability to set up her other teammates for success really impresses me.”
Johnson said part of her playmaking ability comes from how she positions herself for an incoming pass and scoring run.
“Most of it is curving my runs and not making them straight,” Johnson said. “If I can curve the run, I can meet the last defender at the right time. I’ve had my fair share of offsides, but I think curving my runs and not making a straight run is very important. It adds that little bit of time when you see the pass incoming.”
Maybe the best example of that anticipation came in the second Port Angeles-Sequim contest last fall when she ran on to an upfield pass from her cousin, Raimey Brewer, and did the rest.
Johnson answered in the 47th minute, timing the entry pass of Raimey Brewer perfectly, racing past all four Port Angeles defenders and cruising around Riders goalie Saylah Commerton before depositing the ball softly in the back of the net.
“Raimey picked that ball up in the midfield, saw it, made a great through ball that split the two defenders,” Garling said. “I thought the PA keeper would get to it, but Taryn beat her to it and dribbled it in as cool and calm and composed as can be.”
On the opposite side of the field, Port Angeles coach Dan Horton was looking for an offside call, but upon further inspection, he was just impressed.
“I thought she was four or five yards offside,” Horton said. “But when I looked at the film, I saw that she timed her run so well, she has obviously spent a lot of time training on her timing, and she found a way to look even faster than she is with that ability.
“Those situations really deflate you. We had the ball at our feet on their end and, boom, they go 1-2 and they are in the net.”
Johnson and Brewer also teamed up on a number of corner-kick goals with Brewer curving the ball into the box and Johnson finding a way to get the ball in net amid a flurry of legs and torsos.
She thanked her uncle Kevin, Raimey’s dad, for his assistance in building up their games.
“We work on corners and juggling and first touch and our shots,” Johnson said. “I don’t think I’d be where I am without him. He’s so passionate about helping Raimey and I. I still need to work on hitting corners with my head, and he’s helping.”
Johnson also was quick to point out her success was tied to her teammates.
“Jennyfer Gomez was a really big factor, our defensive line, Kaia [Lestage] and Libby [Turella]. I could honestly give everybody on the team a shoutout. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Garling said she attracts so much attention from the opposition that it can lead to opportunities for her teammates.
“She is a multi-dimensional player,” he said. “Dangerous on the ball, in close, outside the box from distance. As a defender, teams are defending her in groups in twos and threes. In the playoffs, there were four around here, just because of her presence as a scoring threat.”
Her one-touch volley goal with a degree of difficulty nearing 10 against Kingston remains her favorite moment from the season.
“Against Kingston, the ball was in the air when I was right outside the 18 and I one-time kicked it in. Followed through with my shot and I put it in off the keeper. I was proud of that moment.”
Johnson also plays for the undefeated Wolves basketball team after a childhood where Johnson said her parents “threw me into nearly every sport” — including gymnastics, swimming and golf.
“It’s important for me to pursue different sports, not just soccer. If you stick on one sport throughout high school, you might only reach a certain level. But if you build up different skills in different sports, you can add them all together.”
With nearly the entire roster set to return next season, Johnson has a goal in mind.
“I’m so looking forward to next season. I know we can make it to state next year, we just need that extra push. I really want to get to state,” Johnson said.
“To do it, we need to practice, practice, practice so hard. Harder than any other team. I don’t think we pushed ourselves as hard as we needed to this season, and that’s what it takes.”
Garling also is looking forward to the fall.
“To set the record in her junior year was such an impressive feat,” Garling said. “With another season to go, she will be rewriting the record book with every game.”
2022 All-Peninsula Girls Soccer Team
• MVP: Taryn Johnson, jr., Sequim: Shattered Wolves’ career goal scoring record in less than three full seasons. Scored 26 goals with 6 assists to earn first-team All-Olympic League nod.
Forwards
• Kaylen Pray, sr., East Jefferson: First-team All-Nisqually League selection scored 12 goals with three assists.
• Ava Shiflett, jr., East Jefferson: Speedy striker tallied 13 goals and 13 assists in earning first-team All-Nisqually League honors.
• Raimey Brewer, so., Sequim: Freshman led Wolves with nine assists.
Midfielders
• Anna Petty, sr., Port Angeles: First-team All-Olympic League selection led Riders in goals (12) and assists (10).
• Jennyfer Gomez, jr., Sequim: Second-team All-Olympic League pick showed plenty of offensive and defensive ability in the middle for Wolves.
• Isabelle Felton, jr., Port Angeles: Second-team All-Olympic League pick scored five goals and had five assists.
• Piper Williams, sr., Port Angeles: Second-team All-Olympic League pick totaled four goals and four assists.
Defenders
• Iris Mattern, jr., East Jefferson: Nisqually League Defensive MVP scored seven goals with four assists.
• Kaia Lestage, jr., Sequim: Can do a little bit of everything for the Wolves, but defense is where she is needed the most.
• Ivy Barrett, so., Sequim: Active defender helped hold down Wolves’ back line.
• Paige Mason, jr., Port Angeles: Played a number of positions for Riders, picking up five goals and an assist.
Goalkeeper
• Saylah Commerton, sr., Port Angeles: First-team All-Olympic League pick shined in net for the Riders.
________
Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
Sequim’s Taryn Johnson dribbles toward the goal during a win over Olympic. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim’s Taryn Johnson prepares to strike a free kick during a win over Kingston. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
