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They're not just classmates and teammates.
They're not just one of the best passer-scorer combinations
in the Cascade Conference.
Jason and Joe Gjertsen are also brothers.
And they're two reasons why The Evergreen State College men's
soccer team is hoping for its first-ever trip to nationals.
"They're both scorers," Evergreen coach Tom Boatright
said. "But they're willing to share. There's no ego problem.
The fact that Joe came here and joined his brother says a
lot about them."
Joe turned down scholarship offers from San Diego State and
Seattle Pacific to be a Geoduck.
"I wanted to play on the same team as my brother,"
Joe said. "And I wanted to help turn a program around."
They'll get that chance Saturday when Evergreen hosts Warner
Pacific at noon in a crucial Cascade Conference matchup.
The last time the Gjertsen brothers played on the same field
was at Wilson High School in Tacoma five years ago when Jason
was a senior and Joe a sophomore.
Being brothers, there's a special intuitive connection between
passer (Jason) and scorer (Joe).
"They read each other," Boatright said. "To
get that, you have to have played together a long time."
There's no sibling rivalry between them.
"He's unselfish," Joe said about his brother. "Scoring
is secondary to him. His strength is creating goals for other
players. Mine is finishing."
The brothers are a perfect match. Jason led the conference
in assists with four after five matches. Joe was third in
goals with four.
"We both like the ball a lot," Jason said. "But
I'm the type of player who will take someone on and look to
pass. My brother looks to finish."
But the Gjertsens don't hold a monopoly on scoring. Nate Ford,
who scored two goals in a game earlier, gives Evergreen a third
scorer.
"They're the three most talented scorers in the league," Boatright said.
Both Gjertsen brothers were NWAACC Players of the Year when
they played at Tacoma Community College. But Jason sat out
of school for a year before connecting with Boatright and
Evergreen.
"Evergreen has given him a second chance," Boatright
said. "He was on a track where he wasn't going to get
his education."
Last year, in Joe's first year at Evergreen, he scored a league-leading
22 goals. Jason sat out the season because he was academically
ineligible.
"That was tough," Jason said. "I'd go to practice
and I felt a part of the team. But I couldn't play."
Now, they both play for the same dream.
"We want to go to nationals," Jason said. "We
want to win."
The brothers, who shared a house on Steamboat Island last
year, have a lot in common. They like the same kind of music
-- rap. And they both snowboard in the winter and boogie board
in the summer.
"We like a lot of the same things," Jason said.
"Especially soccer."
But Boatright sees a difference.
"Jason has an amazing passion," the Evergreen coach
said. "He's very fiery. Joe is a little bit more easygoing.
On the surface, Joe comes across as more responsible."
However, Jason is a team captain and team leader.
"I feel just as he does after a loss," Joe said.
"But he's going to be the one who says something."
With just over a month left in the regular season, the days
are winding down on their time as teammates. But the Gjertsens
are hoping to get a chance to be teammates again as pros.
"This has been so much fun playing on the same team as
my brother," Jason said. "We just hope we get another
chance."
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