Sumner soccer aims for yet another playoff berth, but this year, they’re leaning on youth
As the regular season winds down for the 4A South Puget Sound League, the Sumner High School girls soccer team finds itself in a familiar position: fighting for a share of the league title and gearing up for a run to the state playoffs.
It’s a familiar spot for coach Robi Turley and her program. If the Spartans make the state tournament this year, it would be their 13th consecutive trip (last season notwithstanding due to the shortened and non-playoff season).
Less familiar: the Spartans field an incredibly young starting 11 on the pitch. Apart from two senior captains, Payton Martinson and Kennedy Cypher, the other starters are in the ninth or tenth grade.
“We are extremely young. We have a tradition of success in our program over the years, but we are really young,” Turley said. “Nine out of my 11 starters are freshmen and sophomores. I have two seniors who are starters, and those seniors are team captains. And so, it has been really crucial for them to bring along the younger group. They are both offensive players, so their roles have been really important in getting the youth to step up in a conference and league that is really strong.”
Although it has been a challenge navigating a season against tough opponents like Puyallup and a resurgent Curtis, the younger Spartans have shined.
They own an 8-2-5 record (8-1-3 in league) and are sitting in third place in the 4A SPSL table. Players like sophomore Camryn Brown have contributed in huge ways, creating a stingy defense that has allowed only 19 goals through 15 games.
They have found ways to make things work thanks to the experience Martinson and Cypher bring to the squad. Martinson was the 4A SPSL’s offensive Most Valuable Player in the spring league, and Cypher was first-team all-SPSL selection as well.
“[Martinson and Cypher] have been lucky enough to sit behind really big classes with some really killer players. And so, it is their turn,” Turley said. “It’s been a challenge; it hasn’t been necessarily easy when your entire team is freshmen and sophomores. And really the sophomores didn’t have a normal season last year.”
Cypher leads an offensive attack for the Spartans that has netted 35 goals so far this season against opponents. She is responsible for 13 of those goals in league games, but the offense is well-rounded — 14 of 18 players have scored a goal this season.
“It’s definitely a team effort. I would say every ball starts with everyone building out from the back, a ball from Payton, or a through ball,” Cypher said. “Or it’s having that grit of ‘it’s the second half, I’m tired and it is 0-0. We need this goal and I need to grit it out and get it done.’ I think that’s what has gotten me through our league games so far.”
That potent attack means the Spartans can compete with anyone: Puyallup, Curtis, or anyone else in the 4A SPSL. They know it. They exude confidence.
“We wouldn’t be in third place, or even fighting for second or first place if it wasn’t for this tight group of girls that we have,” Cypher said. “It makes me really proud, especially as a senior captain, to see how far these girls have come from the first practice and being afraid to say their name and favorite color, to telling us about their day and updating us on their families. How close we’ve gotten has gotten us to the point of where we are.”
If the season ended now, Sumner would enter the District 3/4 soccer tournament and take on Camas, the Greater St. Helens League’s No. 1 seed.
It would be a tall task to open against the Papermakers, who are currently 14-0-0 (6-0-0 in GSHL play), but the Spartans are talented enough to make a run. They hope to make their 13th straight appearance in the state tournament. If they play their brand of stingy defense mixed with a balanced offensive attack, they could make it.
“I think for sure that we could go on and play well through the playoffs and even eventually go on to state and make a good run through that,” Martinson said. “I think we can make it because of so many attributes we have as a team. We have so many special players in different positions that it is really fun to watch them. And our relationships; it’s really easy to look for opportunities to score and we have such a strong defensive line.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.