After winning 2A SPSL title, Fife soccer turns focus toward state tournament

After wrapping up the 2A South Puget Sound League title in a 3-0 win against White River on Oct. 22, the Fife High School girls’ soccer team is preparing for a state tournament run.

With an offense that scored 77 goals across its 15-game season while allowing five over the same span, the Trojans enter the playoffs with a high level of confidence.

That offensive and defensive output is reflected in the team’s 13-1-1 record (13-1-0 SPSL 2A). The Trojans enter the District 2/3 playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Their first opponent will be Sequim, which finished 10-4-0.

“It’s great, especially coming out of the weird COVID season last year to come out and feel some bit of normalcy and also come out with a championship,” said coach Ryann Waldman. “I think every single team that we are going to come up against from here on out is going to be good. We are going to have to come out playing 100 percent. That’s the most important part, where [Sequim] is seeded and finished in league isn’t really important.”

What is important to the Trojans is getting their shot to win their first state championship since they did it in back-to-back years in 2008 and ’09. They also have a streak of making it to the state playoffs nine years in a row, with the spring 2020-21 season not counting due to COVID.

Waldman believes this team is hitting its peak at just the right time. Waldman believes the White River game and solidifying the league title is the moment when her team came together collectively and showed it wants the state title as well.

“They showed they wanted to be the No. 1 seed going into districts,” Waldman said. “They want to be a high seed going into state, and they are able to see what it takes to get there now. It’s really fun watching them come together, and out of all the girls on my team, only four have of them have been to a playoff situation. My team is very young, so I’ve had to teach them what the playoffs even look like.”

Coming into the playoffs, the Trojans have proven they have both a strong offense and defense, led on both sides by junior Kaylee Mithun and sophomore Aleigha Woodland. Waldman believes the team is more than capable of keeping up its high pace of play.

What the Trojans want to do against their opponents is dominate the air, make moves off the ball and keep the ball in the middle where their biggest strengths are.

“I think it’s really important to dominate the air because it shows that you’re willing to win the ball,” Mithun said. “Both on the ground and in the air, it shows that you’re bigger and gets you in possession of the ball first … We’ve all been determined to score, determined to win, determined to win the ball in the air and keep going.”

Mithun leads the team with 27 goals scored this season, making her the focal point of the Trojan’s offense. She has had multiple games this year where she has recorded a hat trick, making her the player the team looks to when it needs a score.

Now fully recovered from an ankle injury, Mithun spends time practicing finding open spaces, dribbling past defenders and getting shots on goal. Mithun’s practice against a Trojan defense that has held opponents to five goals proves how both sides of the ball make each other better.

Woodland, a center-midfielder known for her aggressive style, anchors the defense. She doesn’t slow down and will take on the other team anywhere on the field.

“[Woodland] is just fantastic, she plays literally box to box. She is an absolute stud in the middle of the field,” Waldman said. “With her in the middle of the field and with [Mithun] scoring and with my defense set up, we are in a very strong spot.”

Another reason the Trojans are in a strong spot is that they are set to host Sequim when they play in the district tournament (the game takes place on Monday night, past The News Tribune’s press time).

Earning that top seed allows the players a bit of a reprieve from travel to schools that are several hours away. The Trojans will have a little extra time for rest.

Being at home gives the community the opportunity to come out as well. Last year, students were not allowed to come out and show support to their classmates. But with COVID-19 safety measures in place, the Trojans will feed off the energy that comes from the crowd.

“I think having to sit on a bus and travel anywhere, especially right now when we have to be socially distant and masked the entire two and a half to three hours, it’s going to be tiring,” Waldman said. “Especially after a full school day. So being able to be the No. 1 seed and have a home game was incredibly important to all of us. It’s also fun to have the students, fans and everybody come out and support.”

Fife won its opening-round game in the District 2/3 tournament on Tuesday, beating Sequim 5-0 and locking up a berth in the 2A state tournament. White River faces Fife next, Nov. 4 at Fife Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m.