The Grays Harbor Gulls appear to be headed in the right direction with a record of 4-2 and winning two of their last three matches, but with only four regular season games remaining they are still working around one persistent problem: the lack of players at practice.

The Gulls are a semi-pro soccer team based in Aberdeen that began competing in the Western Washington Premier League last spring. The players are mostly aged 18 to mid-20s, many of them recent Hoquiam or Aberdeen high school graduates.

The players aren’t paid and many are juggling not only jobs, but family life along with their soccer responsibilities.

Once work and life are factored in, the twice-weekly practices at Stewart Field normally feature about a third of the 18 players listed on the roster.

To fill out the numbers needed for a scrimmage, the Gulls have invited local high school players and some members of the Grays Harbor College Chokers team when other responsibilities get in the way of having the full Gulls squad for practices at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

Gulls head coach Drew Grannemann said it’s important for a coach in his position to be understanding of his player’s schedules.

“It’s about being adaptable. Life throws things at you pretty quickly and I’m very understanding of reasons why people can’t be here,” he said. “They have family and we’re taking out two hours of their night a couple of nights a week. That’s time they could be with their wife and kids and I don’t want to be unreasonable in demanding that they be here.”

For the players who have trouble making it to both the Tuesday and Wednesday night practices, Grannemann encourages them to train on their own time.

“What we do say is if you have free time go kick the ball around with your kids or your buddy. Go for a run, do something that’s not so organized or structured if I’m not there,” he said. “We put that on the players themselves. If they are motivated and want to be successful they can find the time to get the workout in.”

The Gulls coaching staff has been particularly impressed with Jonathan Molina. Molina rarely has the time to attend practices, but Grannemann has been pleased with how Molina’s physical fitness and overall play has improved since the start of the season.

Staying in shape is also a challenge for Alan Carloza, even though he regularly makes it to practice.

Between his job and two children, Carloza credits his wife, Andrea, who is also his workout partner, with assisting training away from the field.

“Being able to go home and have that kind of support is huge. That’s why I’m here,” he said. “It’s either that or I’d be single. No one else would really want someone who’s at the soccer field 24-7.”

Carloza noted that his work schedule coincides well with his soccer schedule but not everybody is as lucky.

Gulls goalie Alexis Garcia’s day starts at 3:30 a.m. when he wakes up for work. After a short drive into Aberdeen, Garcia gets into a cramped car full of coworkers for a ride to Auburn where he begins his work as a landscaper at 6 a.m.

He gets off of work at 4 p.m., time for rush hour traffic, and the Grays Harbor keeper is often late to the 7 p.m. practice.

Despite having to play soccer at the end of a long day of work twice a week, Garcia always finds the energy to work with his teammates.

“I get here late, but I try to make it every practice because it’s good for my team so they can keep the chemistry up,” he said. “I also just love playing. I don’t think I’ll lose it just because of a job.”

Tony Oropeza actually thinks his physically demanding job helps him stay in shape during the season.

Oropeza spends most of his day carrying around heavy equipment as part of his job as a roofer and considers his occupation a warm up for the practice he’ll end up going to later in the day.

“Doing roofing does kick your butt but it does actually get you into shape. There’s a lot of lifting with your thighs and calves,” he said. “A roof is on an incline so you’re climbing with your toes a lot of the time. It gets you prepared. It’s like a tough practice. It does get you sore but once you get on that field, you’re glad you do what you do.”

Oropeza has a positive outlook on what his job helps him do on the field but the reality for most of the Gulls roster is that life away from the soccer field makes it difficult to train with the team.

However, Grannemann doesn’t see the lack of bodies at practice as a problem. In some ways, he sees it as an asset.

“Most clubs probably aren’t dealing with (low turnout at practice) the same way we are. In talking with other owners and coaches, they are a little bit more consistent with their training numbers,” he said. “But we’re different in Grays Harbor. That’s what makes us grittier and makes us work a little harder when we are on the pitch. We don’t always have the opportunity or the resources to find five hours a week to train. It shows how quickly these guys who never played together can work together and communicate using the sport they love.”

The Grays Harbor Gulls have two home games left on the schedule — at home against Kirkland at 3 p.m. on June 22 and vs. Redmond on at 3 p.m. July 6.