These two Tacoma soccer standouts are headed to the College Cup with the UW Huskies
There won’t be one Tacoma soccer standout on the Washington Huskies’ side when they meet Georgetown in the College Cup semifinals.
There will be two.
Kendall Burks, who anchored Stadium High School’s defense during his four-year career, is now a member of the Huskies’ proven back line.
Raphael Cox, a former standout midfielder for the Tigers and Huskies, who went on to play professionally for MLS, NASL and USL squads, and coached Burks during two seasons in high school, is now an assistant on UW’s coaching staff.
And both will play a role in Friday night’s historic match at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., when the Huskies play in the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the first time in their program history.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Burks said this week of the Huskies’ historic run. “We’re excited for the opportunity and to play on such a big stage, it’s definitely an opportunity that we don’t want to waste, and we want to take full advantage of. ... We’re just all excited to play and see how far we can go.”
Burks noted the closeness of this UW group as a key in propelling the Huskies to this point.
“We have guys that are freshman that are good friends with guys that are seniors. It goes from top to bottom. We’re just so close,” he said. “ ... I think we’re just one of the tightest groups in the country.”
The second-seeded Huskies (17-1-2) have come so far already.
They opened their season on a 12-game winning streak, have shut out 11 teams, and defeated Portland, Indiana and shut out Saint Louis in last weekend’s quarterfinals win to get here.
Both Burks and Cox have played a part.
This is the second season Burks has played for the Huskies, following his impressive high school career and two seasons at Cal State Bakersfield.
Cox remembers how key Burks was to Stadium’s success — when he guided the Tigers to back-to-back appearances in the Class 3A state playoffs in 2017 and 2018.
“I could put him at center back. I could put him at center forward if we needed a goal. He was an outstanding player,” Cox said.
Burks was a two-time TNT All-Area selection, and a 3A Pierce County League defensive player of the year before moving on to appear in all 37 games — including 31 starts — in his two seasons at CSUB.
He was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference freshman team his first season, and earned an All-WAC honorable mention nod as a sophomore before returning to the Pacific Northwest ahead of his junior season.
Following his own high school career at Stadium, Cox went on to play a season at Highline Community College, and then three more at UW from 2006-08, where he was a two-time All-Pac-10 pick.
Cox was later selected in the fourth round at No. 54 overall by Real Salt Lake in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, and debuted that season. He has played for other NASL and USL teams since, and continues to play indoor soccer with the Tacoma Stars.
He has also long been involved in coaching — which brought him back to the Huskies two years ago.
Eventually, the paths for both local soccer stars led to UW.
Burks arrived in 2020, and played his first, pandemic-delayed season for longtime coach Jamie Clark and the Huskies this spring.
“I thought it was a place where I could develop as a player, and really have a chance at getting deep in the tournament, and having a chance to play after college,” Burks said. “Jamie has made that a possibility, and I think it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.”
Burks scored his first collegiate goal in his first game as a Husky, in a win over Northwest on Feb. 4.
“We’ve always been good on set pieces, and the guys we have on the team really whip in a good ball, so I know on set pieces there’s a chance where I can score,” Burks said.
It was the first of several exciting goals for Burks.
He scored three in the spring season and added one assist on his way to All-Pac-12 second team honors, and has two goals this fall along with three assists.
He’s also started 19 of the Huskies’ 20 games this season, now at right back.
“He’s been able to make that position his own,” Cox said. “ … He just keeps getting better each week at that position.”
In addition to athleticism and natural talent, Cox also noted Burks’ attention to studying opponents in leading to success on the field.
“He’s always been a guy who studies the game,” Cox said. “Even at Stadium, when we had video review or tactical review of other teams, he’s always one of those guys that sat in the front and just was super dialed in, and tuned into what the tactics were and how we were going to beat teams, and their weaknesses and their strengths, and what he needed to do to be successful.”
These two seasons have also given Burks and Cox an opportunity to reconnect on the field.
“It’s been awesome,” Burks said. “It definitely made the transition a little bit easier. … I’m really close with him, and he’s just made it that much better.”
“It is fun to reconnect, especially with someone who grew up just down the street, and been able to give him as much insight as I can because of my experiences,” Cox said. “You see the potential he has, and you just try to give him as much information as possible while pushing him in that right direction, because you know the future is really bright for him. I’m just trying to help him as much as I can.”
Cox returned to the Huskies as an assistant coach ahead of the 2019 season, and also coaches youth soccer in the area in addition to continuing his playing career.
“Once I got into it, I kept adding things and reaching for more,” Cox said of pursuing coaching. “It keeps my interest and I enjoy working with kids, and striving to try to be better myself and then trying to help people get better. So it’s a rewarding and fulfilling job, so I just keep pushing and keep looking for more opportunities to keep doing it.”
Friday night, both Burks and Cox get another exciting opportunity in their soccer careers — representing both Washington and Tacoma in the College Cup.
“Representing Tacoma has always been something special for me,” Cox said. “I’m sure Kendall probably feels the same way. It’s just something different when it’s your hometown, right, and it’s crazy because it’s such a small place, but there’s a lot of talent that comes out of Tacoma.
“I couldn’t be more proud to represent a place that’s always had my back … and trying to represent Tacoma any chance I get is definitely special for me and my family.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "These two Tacoma soccer standouts are headed to the College Cup with the UW Huskies."
