4A girls soccer state tournament bracket breakdown: Will one of the SPSL teams make a run?
The Washington high school girls soccer state tournaments are getting underway this week. Here’s a look at the Class 4A state tournament and what to watch for.
WHO’S THE TEAM TO BEAT?
That would be Camas, the tournament’s No. 1 seed. The Papermakers come into the state tournament with an 18-0 record after winning the 4A Greater Saint Helen’s League. Going into the postseason, it was hard to gauge if Camas was a legitimate contender, given the GSHL isn’t the state’s strongest league.
But any doubts were silenced after Camas ripped its way through the District 3/4 tournament, beating three teams from the 4A South Puget Sound League — 2-0 over Curtis, 1-0 over Puyallup and 3-1 over Olympia — to win the district title.
“It was great just bringing them together, giving them that extra confidence boost, to go into state and really earn that No. 1 placement,” Camas coach Keri Tomasetti told The News Tribune. “We said through the whole thing, ‘You have to earn this.’ Coming out of bi-distircts, playing some of those top teams, all of which are in state, that was definitely a confidence boost being able to move forward.”
Camas has a strong defense — it conceded just one goal through its three District 3/4 tournament games — and a balanced offense. Four playoffs have scored double digit goals for the Papermakers: Senior Lily Loughney has 14, junior Bella Burns has 13, senior Emerson Grafton has 12 and junior Anna Mooney has 10.
“I think it’s difficult because when you just have one scorer, you can try to shut them down with man marking or double teaming,” Tomasetti said. “When you have multiple people who can score, it’s much more difficult for teams to control that.”
Tomasetti said the team’s chemistry makes this year’s group unique.
“The girls really like each other,” she said. “They just enjoy playing the game together. We had lost a few (seniors) after the spring season, where we did really well, but we had no playoffs. That just kind of gave extra fire to this particular group. They wanted to do something we haven’t been able to do. They made the goal to win league, win districts and go to state.”
Camas’ last state tournament appearance came in 2018. The Papermakers finished second, losing to Skyline 2-1 in the championship game.
WHICH SOUTH SOUND TEAMS COULD MAKE A RUN?
Take your pick of teams from the 4A South Puget Sound League. Olympia, Puyallup, Sumner and Curtis all qualified for the state tournament, proving once again that the 4A SPSL is one of the toughest and deepest leagues in the state.
Puyallup, which is the defending state champion (2019), is the highest seeded local team, coming at No. 7. The Vikings won the 4A SPSL and lost to Camas 1-0 in the semifinal round of the district tournament, before bouncing back for a 2-0 win over Sumner in the third/fourth place seeding game.
Puyallup coach Matt White had some criticism for the seeding committee, which awarded Puyallup the tournament’s seven seed. So who’s ahead of Puyallup? Skyline checks in at No. 4, despite Puyallup beating Skyline, 3-1 in the season opener in September. Eastlake is the tournament’s three seed, after finishing third in the 4A KingCo. Puyallup, again, won the SPSL, which has four teams in the state tournament.
“I definitely am frustrated we’re a seven seed,” White said. “The third-place team in KingCo is rated higher than the No. 1 team in the SPSL. That’s hard to swallow. We didn’t lose to any KingCo team.”
Were the Vikings unfairly seeded? That depends on who you ask. We believe one thing to be true, though: This seven seed has a legitimate chance of winning another state title. The Vikings may be the best bet out of the selection of locals, primarily because defense travels. Puyallup has conceded just five goals on the season and allowed just one goal in the District 3/4 tournament, which came in the loss to Camas.
Any of the 4A SPSL teams have the potential to make a deep run into the state tournament. Soccer, more than most sports, is about drawing favorable matchups and a lucky bounce here and there. Olympia (12-6-1), Sumner (9-4-6) and Curtis (11-4-4) are all capable of making a run and all beat up on each other during the regular season.
“We all battled back and forth,” said Curtis coach Frank Hankel. “We’ve played some good team this year, we just have to go out there. We can’t control the seeding, we can just control what’s in front of us. There’s some tough draws out there. It’s always going to be a dogfight.”
Olympia is strong in the midfield and attack, led by midfielders Lyv Heistand and Emma Hays and forward Katelyn Rigg. Curtis has the league’s top defender in center back KV Miller, who has shown the ability to score goals on set pieces, too. And Sumner might be young, but the Spartans aren’t short on talent, led by forward Payton Martinson.
DIFFERENCE MAKERS FROM SOUTH SOUND TEAMS
Callie Lowney, Puyallup, sr. — The News Tribune’s 2021 spring season All-Area player of the year has been a force to be reckoned with once again for the Vikings. She has scored 18 goals and has six assists.
Ally Larkin, Puyallup, sr. — She’s possibly the area’s top goalkeeper and was a TNT All-Area first-team selection as a junior in the spring. Opponents have only slipped five goals past the Puyallup keeper through 19 games this year. That’s 0.26 goals per game and 14 clean sheets.
Ally Beavers, Puyallup, sr. — There’s perhaps no one better from the SPSL when it comes to getting teammates involved. Beavers has 16 assists for Puyallup and has added a pair of goals.
Payton Martinson, Sumner, sr. — Scored the game-winning goal in Sumner’s 1-0 district tournament opening win against Kennedy Catholic from about 30 yards out. The veteran leader of a young team has four goals and four assists this season.
Kennedy Cypher, Sumner, sr. — Another veteran leader for Sumner, she leads the Spartans with 13 goals and four assists this season.
Katelyn Rigg, Olympia, sr. — Also a track star, ‘exceptionally fast’ Bears forward has 21 goals goals and six assists for Olympia this season.
Emma Hays, Olympia, sr. — Center midfielder is a key piece of Olympia’s attack. Has 11 goals and 7 assists for the Bears.
KV Miller, Curtis, sr. — Considered by many the best and most athletic defender in the 4A SPSL. “She’s tough, physical. Just kind of has a will to not get beat,” says Curtis coach Frank Hankel. Has two goals, three assists and has been the foundation of a defense that has posted eight shutouts.
Camryn Brown, Sumner, soph. — Defender was a TNT All-Area first-team selection in the spring season and has continued to be a defensive menace as a sophomore.
Sophia Mayne, Curtis, fr. — Defensive center mid will go toe-to-toe with the opponent’s best offensive player, despite being in just her first year of high school. Has three goals, four assists and is an integral part of Curtis’ tough defense.
Katie Riggins, Curtis, sr. — Has played forward and all over the midfield for the Vikings. Curtis coach Frank Hankel calls her a “do-everything” player. She has nine goals and three assists on the year.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 11:13 AM.
