2A girls soccer state bracket breakdown: Fife among South Sound teams vying for title
Washington’s girls soccer state tournament begins this week. Here’s a look at the Class 2A bracket as play begins Tuesday night.
TEAM TO BEAT
Nine seniors for Archbishop Murphy have one more chance to bring home a state title, and this year’s tournament may be their best shot yet.
It’s not only their unblemished 19-0 record, but a scoring differential that eclipses the century mark. The Wildcats already own 107 goals on the year, allowing just six to opponents in return.
They’re the top-seeded team in this season’s 2A tournament, and of their 19 wins, 15 were shutouts.
“This isn’t a flash,” coach Mike Bartley told The News Tribune. “This is something that we’ve built up and worked very hard for. And they want it really bad. That’s a quote from one of them.”
Archbishop Murphy plays Sammamish on Tuesday night in the tournament’s first round. Bartley’s key to winning that game, similar to what they’ve done all year, is to press opponents and keep the ball within striking distance. It’s a priority to prevent teams from moving beyond their side of the field, and if the Wildcats convert on the chances they get, they coast to wins by, on average, more than five goals per game.
Senior Jordyn Latta leads the team in both goals and assists, with 22 in both statistics. Jo Chiangpradit comes next with 21 goals, and Taylor Campbell tacked on 12 goals and 19 assists throughout this year’s slate.
Cameron Bourne and Lilia Echols round out what Bartley considers his front five, responsible for the Wildcat scoring attack. And Bartley’s “unsung hero” is senior midfielder Reeve Borseth, who verbally committed to Montana’s Division-I program.
“She is so good, that we can leave one back and attack with two, and that’s made a huge difference on how many goals were scored,” Bartley said. “She wins the ball, she wins every airball, every punt, every goal kick, and does all the dirty work and then gets the ball out to that front five.
“And they’ve been outstanding.”
WHICH SOUTH SOUND TEAMS HAVE THE BEST SHOT TO MAKE A RUN?
Archbishop Murphy may be undefeated, but a fourth-seeded Fife team lost only once, and avenged it less than a month later.
When the Trojans dropped a 2-0 meeting with Enumclaw on Sep. 21, there was a realization among the group to focus on defense, coach Ryann Waldman said. Fife toyed with formations, and rehearsed communication skills.
On Oct. 14, Fife beat Enumclaw in a 1-0 shutout, and worked through a 2A District 2/3 tournament bracket to hoist the trophy on Saturday night.
Now, fourth-seeded Fife has state-champion aspirations.
(We) realized, especially defensively, what we need to do in order to get a win out of every game,” Waldman said. “And so the... defense really stepped it up and said, ‘no, we can make the difference.’”
Look out for sophomore midfielder Aleigha Woodland in Fife’s opening-round clash with North Kitsap. Also set to propel Fife’s state tournament run is junior defender Brooke Mittelstaedt, who scored the district tournament-winning penalty kick last weekend.
“(North Kitsap) also transitions really, really quickly and really well,” Waldman said. “So we’re just gonna have to be on our game the whole time.”
Also in this year’s 2A tournament? 14th-seeded Enumclaw, who could meet the Trojans in the title game, if both are able to get there.
“We get to play them twice in our league,” Waldman said. “Playing them always (makes for) a super fun game. So if we got to play them again, it would be a blast.”
The Hornets (11-2-1, 2A SPSL) travel to Ridgefield for a Wednesday match with the host Spudders.
Tumwater, seeded ninth, travels to Selah with a trip to the state quarterfinals on the line. That game’s winner likely faces Archbishop Murphy, assuming the Wildcats fend off Sammamish in the opening round. The T-Birds (11-0, 2A Evergreen) put together a perfect league record, allowing just seven goals throughout their regular season.
They felt like last season’s pandemic-shortened slate took away their chance for a state title. It’s their plan to arrive there now.
“This is just a group of kids that really like each other, and they work hard, and they support one another,” coach Brett Bartlett said. “Even when a kid’s having a bad day, if somebody else scores, they’re encouraging that player. ... That selfless mentality is super critical, especially in high school sports where, you know, things can turn on a dime.”
Also in the state bracket is 12th-ranked White River, who lost their only regular-season match to Fife on Sep. 28.
DIFFERENCE MAKERS FROM SOUTH SOUND TEAMS
Kaylee Mithun, Fife: The clear-cut leader in goals for the Trojans (30), Mithun is considered by coach Ryann Waldman as one of the biggest game-changers on the Trojan roster. Mithun assisted Woodland’s goal in Fife’s district championship win, and will be relied upon to make “big” plays in their state tournament-opener against North Kitsap.
Aleigha Woodland, Fife: With the help of the sophomore midfielder, Fife won their district tournament last weekend, and grabbed the fourth seed of the 2A state tournament. Woodland netted nine goals throughout the year, including one on Saturday, and “ran end zone to end zone.” Waldman has no reason to believe that will change.
Hana Reynolds, Fife: Worked 14 shutouts as the Trojan keeper. Surrounding defenders minimized opposing looks, but Reynolds used great hands and awareness to keep shots in front of her.
Emalyn Shaffer, Tumwater: Led the T-Birds in goals this season with 14, and headed the offensive attack. Deemed “scary” on the field by her coach: “they don’t really know who (she is) unless they’ve been playing us... they don’t understand.”
Ainsley Wall, Tumwater: A fitting name for the senior defender, because it’s so tough to get the ball by her, coach Brett Bartlett says. Helped the T-Birds to a perfect regular season in the 2A Evergreen conference, and shut down opposing offenses to just a “handful of goals in the last couple of years.”
Mia Ammons, Enumclaw: Led the Hornets in both goals (22) and assists (8), more than doubling her teammates in both categories.
Abbey Goetz, White River: Proclaimed the “strong force of the team” as the Hornets’ keeper. Was the 2A SPSL’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.