PIRATES SOCCER BRINGS STATE TITLE HOME
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 2, 2026
There was no drama, no late heroics, and no need for a comeback. The Vashon Pirates simply showed up at Federal Way Memorial Stadium on May 30 and took what they came for.
Junior attacker Mason Haynes scored twice in the first half and the second-seeded Pirates blanked the Meridian Trojans 3-0 to win the WIAA Class 1A boys soccer championship, completing one of the most dominant postseason runs in school history and claiming the program’s second state title in program history.
The championship is Vashon’s first since 2019 and caps a season in which the Pirates finished 17-1-3 and closed with seven consecutive victories.
“We talked about three things this season: trust each other, execute the plan, and have fun,” said Vashon head coach John Thomas. “They really embraced that (during the tournament) – and they sure had fun.”
Haynes, who led the team this season with 18 goals and 12 assists, gave Vashon the lead in the 15th minute when he collected the ball near the top of the penalty area, muscled his way through a pair of defenders and slotted a shot into the bottom-right corner.
He struck again in the 32nd minute with an effort that may have been the highlight of the match. Starting on the right side, Haynes cut toward the middle, beat two defenders and curled a left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner to double the Pirates’ advantage.
The Pirates carried that 2-0 lead into halftime and continued to control play after the break. Vashon added its third goal in the 51st minute when junior attacker Ryland Knodt followed up a saved shot by senior midfielder Quill Tegenfeldt-Pfohman and buried the rebound to put the match away.
The Pirates’ defense took care of the rest, only allowing one shot on goal. Meridian, the tournament’s No. 12 seed, reached the final after recording upset victories over two top-five seeds through a difficult side of the bracket. The Trojans finished 14-5-3 but struggled to generate consistent scoring chances against a Vashon squad that recorded its third shutout in four state tournament matches.
Vashon outscored opponents 18-1 during the state tournament, opening with a 7-0 victory over Tonasket before defeating Royal 4-0 in the quarterfinals and Cedar Park Christian 4-1 in the semifinals. Including the District 3 1A tournament, Vashon outscored opponents 31-3 in postseason play and 101-13 for the season, a plus-88 goal differential.
“The 2019 championship team was good,” Thomas said. “But this year’s team dominated in every way.” The numbers backed him up. Vashon’s lone loss came early in May against eventual 2A state champion Bainbridge Island, while one of its three draws came against Mercer Island at the start of the season – a team that went on to win the 3A title this year. Thomas credits his coaching staff for preparing the team to compete with bigger schools.
After finishing fourth at state two years ago, the championship was a fitting sendoff for a senior-heavy roster, including captains Gavin Keenan, Isaac Newcomb and Lewis Thompson.
“Those three are the kind of young men who were built to lead and kept the team completely on track mentally,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t be happier for them. For our seniors to be able to celebrate that moment together after everything they’ve put into this program was really meaningful.”
The Pirates will lose 15 seniors but return key contributors like Knodt, Jeff Nelson and Haynes, whom Thomas said is “under a real pressure cooker” as college tryouts and recruiting starts to ramp up.
“Mason has such a bright future in front of him,” Thomas said. “He’s really matured and is seeing the field, finding his teammates, and connecting the pieces.”
Thomas stopped short of predicting a repeat but didn’t discourage the thought of a deep state run next year.
“It’s a little early, but we have some talented players coming back,” said Thomas. “Can you imagine what Mason Haynes and Jeff Nelson will look like after another year of training? They’re already amazing, and they’re going to be scary as seniors.”
Oscar Lopez from Voice of Vashon radio contributed to this story. Eddie Macsalka is a contributing reporter to The Beachcomber.
