High school girls soccer: The top teams and players in the South Sound in 2022
The high school girls soccer season is underway in Washington and here in the South Sound. Here are the top teams and players to watch this fall.
LEAGUE PREVIEWS
4A NPSL
Tahoma is the favorite. The Bears are off to a 2-1 start this season, beating Thomas Jefferson, 4-0, and 2A Enumclaw, 5-0. The loss was 1-0 to Sumner in the season-opener. The Bears are strong all over the field and return three all-league first-team selections in junior forward Ashlyn May and senior midfielder Macie Masterson (seven goals, three assists in 2021). May is currently playing in the midfield after playing outside back last year, where she collected six goals and had eight assists. Expect her to be all over the place for Tahoma this season, stopping the opponent attack but also getting forward and scoring goals. Goalkeeper Jessi Young is the reigning 4A NPSL defensive player of the year, recording seven shutouts last season. Keep an eye on Kennedy Catholic, too. The Lancers are also 2-1, beating Todd Beamer, 6-0, and Curtis, 2-1, with a 4-0 loss to Mount Si sandwiched between. Don’t count out Kentridge, either. The Chargers tied 3-3 with Auburn Mountainview early this season, and beat Kentlake, 4-0. Kentwood, which tied 3A PCL favorite Bonney Lake, is also in the picture.
4A SPSL
Whoever wins the 4A SPSL, rest assured they’ll be battle tested. In last year’s 16-team 4A state tournament bracket, four teams were from the 4A SPSL — Puyallup, Sumner, Curtis and Olympia. Of those, Puyallup fared the best, advancing to the quarterfinals round, where the Vikings lost to Richland, 2-1. The league title race is wide open this year, with fresh faces across all the programs. Expect those returning state tournament teams to all be in the hunt this fall. Sumner lost the the league’s 2021 offensive player of the year Kennedy Cypher to graduation, and Puyallup lost the defensive player of the year to graduation in goalkeeper Ally Larkin. Curtis returns senior all-league defender KV Miller, who may be the league’s top defender. Puyallup is always in the picture and this year should be no different. The Vikings are led by freshman forward Ella Bach, senior midfielder Chloe Robertson and junior midfielder Shalai Jamison, who’s new to the varsity team this year after coming back from injury. Sumner returns six starters and should have one of the league’s top defenses with juniors Camryn Brown and Taylie Nowels leading the charge. Olympia lost speedy first-team all-league forward Katelyn Rigg to graduation, but coach Tamara Liska feels good about the experienced group returning, which includes eight seniors. The Bears return all-league defender Joslyn Kruse, complemented on the back line by Linnea Hennen and Lucy Clarke. Junior Jenna Rigg should be a force in the midfield.
3A NPSL
Auburn Riverside is the favorite, led by reigning 3A NPSL offensive MVP Samiah Shell, who scored 28 goals and added 15 assists last season. Shell, who recently committed to UW, is the school’s career record holder for goals scored (63) and assists (49), even with a season that was cut in half in 2020-21 because of the pandemic. Auburn Riverside (3-0) is off to a scorching start, collecting a 9-0 win over Lakes, 7-1 win over Mount Rainier and a 9-0 win over Decatur. Shell is complemented by junior midfielder Ava Morton, junior goalkeeper Rory Murry, senior defender Zoe Curnutt and sophomore forward Caitlyn Riggs. Auburn Mountainview will be in the hunt, paced by senior first-team all-league selection forward Kailalani Ahuna. Thomas Jefferson junior defender Rachel Reed and Kentlake junior goalkeeper Hayden Rallo are players to watch.
3A PCL
Bonney Lake is the frontrunner and returns several key pieces from last year’s group, including reigning league MVP Zoe Markquart, now a senior. Markquart scored 26 goals and tallied 11 assists for the Panthers last season. The Panthers also return first-team holding midfeilder Kilee Coatney (16 goals, seven assists) and senior defender Sophie Avery. Bonney Lake is off to a 3-0-1 start, beating Rogers, Lakes and Spanaway Lake and tying Kentwood, 3-3. Stadium is another contender. The Tigers have collected league wins over Silas and Lakes so far this season. Stadium returns first-team all-league selection Brooklyn Lee, a forward.
3A SSC
Gig Harbor, which advanced to last year’s 3A state tournament semifinals and took fourth place in the tournament, is the favorite. Gig Harbor is off to a 2-0 start with 4-0 wins over Yelm and River Ridge. Gig Harbor lost TNT All-Area first-team selections Alexa Thoms, Ella Hatteberg and Lily Paulson to graduation, but the Tides have players ready to replace that production. Senior forward Samantha Huber returns after missing the 2021 season with an ACL injury. Sophpmore midfielder Elise Miller scored 13 goals and had 10 assists as a freshman. Junior midfielder Sophie Blake and junior defender Sarah Ehler also return in Gig Harbor’s high-pressing, fast-attacking system. Gig Harbor’s crosstown rival Peninsula (3-1) is also a contender. The Seahawks, who won a play-in game in the 3A state tournament against Cheney last year, have collected wins over Bellarmine Prep, Central Kitsap and Capital, while dropping a 1-0 contest to Olympia. Junior defender Emma Krueger is a focal point on defense. Senior center mid Stella Demianiw, sophomore midfielder Hailey Shride, freshman forward/midfielder Ella Coates and sophomore forward/midfielder Cailey Ridgeway are all players to watch for the Seahawks.
2A SPSL
Fife is the favorite, while Enumclaw and White River are both in the hunt. Fife returns the league’s most dynamic player in reigning 2A SPSL MVP Kaylee Mithun, a senior forward who is a constant threat all over the field. She scored 31 goals last season and had 16 assists, scoring goals in 14 of Fife’s games with three hat tricks. Fife (3-0) is off to a hot start, beating Clover Park 8-0, Washington 9-0 and Steilacoom 6-0. Enumclaw returns first-team all-league center back Grace McCain and center midfiedler Lauren Boger. White River (2-0-1) is also off to a quick start and returns all-league junior forward Laura Corr and senior center defender Victoria Curtice.
2A EvCo
Tumwater, which advanced to the 2A state tournament quarterfinals last season, is the favorite. The T-Birds return reigning 2A EvCo defensive player of the year Mia Cuoio, a senior, as well as reigning EvCo offensive player of the year in forward Emalyn Shaffer, a sophomore. Senior goalkeeper Sydney Woods was the league’s goalkeeper of the year a season ago, and sophomore forward Ava Jones and senior midfielder Olivia Kee were first-team all-league selections. Freshman defender Kayla Pope has already drawn rave reviews. Tumwater is a strong contender to not only just win the 2A EvCo this year — the T-Birds have the pieces to make a run at the 2A state title. Black Hills and W.F. West are also in the picture. Black Hills returns reigning midfielder of the year Mia Oniskey (12 goals, 10-plus assists) and first-team senior forward Bailey Lee (seven goals, five assists).
25 PLAYERS TO WATCH
F Kailalani Ahuna, Auburn Mountainview, sr.
F Ella Bach, Puyallup, fr.
D Camryn Brown, Sumner, jr.
M Kilee Coatney, Bonney Lake, sr.
F Laura Corr, White River, jr.
D Zoe Curnutt, Auburn Riverside, sr.
D Victoria Curtice, White River, sr.
F Samantha Huber, Gig Harbor, sr.
D Joslyn Kruse, Olympia, sr.
F/M Zoe Markquart, Bonney Lake, sr.
M Ashlyn May, Tahoma, jr.
D Grace McCain, Enumclaw, sr.
M Elise Miller, Gig Harbor, soph.
D KV Miller, Curtis, sr.
F Kaylee Mithun, Fife, sr.
M Mia Oniskey, Black Hills, sr.
D Lexie Padilla, Emerald Ridge, sr.
GK Hayden Rallo, Kentlake, jr.
D Rachel Reed, Thomas Jefferson, jr.
M Jenna Rigg, Olympia, jr.
F Emalyn Shaffer, Tumwater, soph.
F Samiah Shell, Auburn Riverside, sr.
F Melanie Torres, Puyallup, soph.
GK Sydney Woods, Tumwater, sr.
GK Jessi Young, Tahoma, sr.
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
