High school girls soccer: The top teams and players in the South Sound in 2023
The high school girls soccer season is underway in the South Sound and across Washington. Here are the top teams and players to watch this fall.
4A NPSL
Tahoma stormed to the 4A quarterfinals in 2022, a victim of eventual-champion Skyline. The reigning league champs graduated offensive MVP Macie Masterson, though a pair of 4A NPSL first-teamers return to fill the void.
Defender Olivia Sides and midfielder Ashlyn May have Tahoma rolling early on, now 3-0 in league play with one goal allowed. They’ll need steady contributions, as just four starters returned (forwards Summer Murphy and Addison Ringhiser).
Kentridge looks the part of a league contender — one of four remaining unbeatens and led by Addison Stendera, the league’s defensive player of the year in 2022.
4A SPSL
There’s talent everywhere at Sumner, so much so that coach Robi Turley finds trouble in setting a starting lineup. Success isn’t the surprise for a program with 15 consecutive state appearances — it’s their positivity, which Turley believes could fuel a deep postseason run.
“I have a hard time picking a starting lineup,” Turley said. “We have so much depth … (but) their energy level, and their positivity and their team-first attitude, is better than any team I’ve had the last few years.
“The vibe there is really good.”
Forward Ari Hill, an Oregon State commit, returns as the 4A SPSL’s reigning scoring champ. Opposite the league’s offensive player of the year is midfielder Ava Morton, an Auburn Riverside transfer and perhaps the X-factor that could push the Spartans beyond the state tournament’s first round.
“(Ari’s) tough to handle,” Turley said of Hill, already with five goals in her first two games this season. “Her speed. She’s attack-minded. She wants to score goals like (it’s) her job.”
Morton adds composure and consistency, and surprisingly-instantaneous chemistry. It’s like she’s been a Spartan for four years, Turley said.
The Spartans are no strangers to the state bracket. But their bugaboo has been the first round, including last year’s 2-1 loss to Woodinville.
Expectations are much higher, and this might be the roster to meet them. All-state defender and TNT All-Area pick Camryn Brown returns for a senior season, as does midfielder Taylie Nowels, a Montana commit. Sophomore keeper Kennedy Jackson earned first-team 4A SPSL honors as a freshman in 2022.
Five teams remain unbeaten in early league play, including Sumner (3-0).
Curtis midfielder Sophie Mayne headlines a Vikings program looking to return to the state bracket. Rogers and Olympia also notched state appearances in 2022, though all lost in the opening round.
Expect Puyallup to contend, a top-two finisher alongside Sumner for each of the last five years in the 4A SPSL.
“They have a great program,” Turley said. “They’re always reloading, like us. Even in a down year, they always worry me.”
Bellarmine Prep sports a pair of returning college commits in goalkeeper Madi Mungia (Alabama) and forward Malia Salema (Denver).
3A NPSL
Auburn Riverside coach Paul Lewis turned to his keeper, Rory Murry, at practice earlier this week: “(Rory), for your first three years, you’ve been bored a lot. You haven’t had a lot to do.”
Murry laughed. “Yeah, we’ve definitely been busier this year.”
The Ravens graduated a big senior class — headlined by UW’s Samiah Shell — but the scoreboard indicates no change in dominance for the Auburn Riverside program. And five games in, each win started with Murry, who is still virtually perfect. There may be more shots on Auburn Riverside’s goal these days, but no team has yet to score on Auburn Riverside, let alone beat them.
The Ravens have outscored opponents 19-0 en route to a perfect 5-0 record in early play. The perennial contenders are still here.
First-team midfielder Ava Morton transferred to Sumner, and the Ravens saw a smaller preseason turnout than normal. So Lewis pivoted. He put Natalie Fish, a traditional midfielder, into a forward role. And despite early reluctance, Fish netted Auburn Riverside’s first goal of the season in what soon became a 4-0 blanking of Lakes. Now, Lewis says she’s “full of confidence” and the offense’s motor. Don’t forget about Caitlyn Riggs with 19 goals and seven assists in 2022.
Harper Curnutt returns as midfielder, and Layla Bejar assumes a defensive role, who tallied seven goals and assists in 2022.
“We used to always play three forward and always attack, all gas all the time,” Lewis said. “But we’ve kind of changed our shape a little bit and gone with fewer forwards.
“There was some trepidation. They didn’t know either. … But there’s a belief. We go out and we win, and we lock people down. The goals have not changed. The kids are like, ‘No. We’re still league champions, we’re gonna defend our district title, we’re gonna go to state.’ It’s been handed down.”
It’s allowed for Murry to flash her Division I skills, too, which she enjoys. The Wyoming commit racked up 37 saves in her first five games, an average of 7.4 shots on goal.
3A PCL
Three games in, the Stadium Tigers (3-3) look very real. The 3A PCL could be in trouble — Stadium has three league wins, all by four or more, including its 5-1 victory over a Lakes team that appeared in the 2022 state tournament.
On Sept. 7, Stadium took down reigning co-MVP Railee Sutton and the Silas Rams, 7-0. The other co-MVP in 2022? Stadium’s Brooklyn Lee, the senior captain committed to Louisville. Lakes and Bonney Lake were the league’s two representatives in 2022, though room may need to be made for a third.
The Lancers return six starters and are led by first-team forward Ramera Bradley, who scored 11 goals in 2022 and already netted four in Lakes’ opening three matches. And Bonney Lake gets back Jaylee Reynolds, a reigning first-team forward.
Stadium owns the only remaining perfect record in the league; Bonney Lake and Lakes played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 7.
3A SSC
The Tides are poised for another deep state-tournament run, headlined by reigning co-MVP and UW commit Sophie Blake. Established as a state regular, Gig Harbor (3-0) has already poured in 18 goals to opponents and has yet to allow a single score behind elite goalkeeping by Ella Conrad and Abbie Hunter.
Elise Miller, a first-team 3A SSC and second-team all-state selection in 2022, joins sophomore Elizabeth Hayes as forwards. Gig Harbor graduated Blake’s co-MVP, Samantha Huber, but got back honorable mention defender Sarah Ehler.
Their campaign ended earlier-than-hoped in 2022, when Gig Harbor lost to Seattle Prep in the first round of the state bracket, 2-1.
“Watching their results, and I’ve seen them play a little bit … they might have it back,” Auburn Riverside coach Paul Lewis said. “They’re fired up again. I think that’s definitely a team to watch.”
Peninsula made a similar run in 2022, the other 3A SSC program to notch a state appearance. Team captain Emma Krueger anchored the Seahawks defense and earned first-team honors, now back for a senior season.
The crosstown rivalry makes this league race — and perhaps, league rematch — even sweeter. The programs meet twice, first on Sept. 26 and again on Oct. 19.
2A SPSL
Fife was the 2A SPSL’s elite in 2022 — the unbeaten league champion led by league MVP Aleigha Woodland and offensive MVP Kaylee Mithun. The latter graduated, but Woodland and the Trojans are again favorites in a league that could turn a multitude of directions in 2023.
The Trojans began their league slate with a pair of shutouts over Washington and Steilacoom. Having Hali Ginnis on the roster helps: Fife’s reigning defensive MVP establishes the back line, as does second-team defender Isa Marquart back for a senior season. First-team midfielder and All-State honoree Bella Gonzales returns, too.
Enumclaw and White River appeared in last year’s state tournament, and Enumclaw raced to the semifinals. Both remain undefeated early on, as does Fife — for now.
Returning to Enumclaw are seniors Lauren Boger (midfielder) and Josie Schampera (forward), both all-league honorees in 2022. White River returns first-team forward Laura Corr.
Three contenders makes for a handful of critical regular season games that could determine a league champion. Enumclaw and White River face off twice. Fife meets Enumclaw twice, and White River once.
The Enumclaw-White River rivalry games are set for Sept. 21 and Oct. 24.
Fife meets White River on Sept. 28, bookended by meetings with Enumclaw on Sept. 9 and Oct. 16.
2A EVCO
Tumwater danced to the state semifinals in 2022, ultimately falling to eventual champion Columbia River. But they possess Emalyn Shaffer, the league’s best player, and are again the 2A EvCo favorite.
The T-Birds (5-0) are undefeated in early play with four shutouts over Washougal, Centralia, Black Hills and Ridgefield. The reigning league-MVP Shaffer hasn’t missed a beat, already with nine goals and five assists.
All-2A EvCo forward Ava Jones joins Shaffer, with five goals and five assists so far. The T-Birds also return a pair of first-team defenders in Kayla Pope and Alli Woods.
W.F. West (2-3) remains the only other 2A EvCo unbeaten in league play with shutouts over Shelton and Aberdeen.
30 PLAYERS TO WATCH
M Sophie Blake, Gig Harbor, sr.
M Lauren Boger, Enumclaw, sr.
F Ramera Bradley, Lakes, sr.
D Camryn Brown, Sumner, sr.
F Laura Corr, White River, sr.
D Kali Ginnis, Fife, sr.
F Ari Hill, Sumner, sr.
F Railee Hutton, Silas, sr.
GK Kennedy Jackson, Sumner, soph.
F Ava Jones, Tumwater, jr.
D Emma Krueger, Peninsula, sr.
M Bella Larson, Olympia, sr.
F/D Brooklyn Lee, Stadium, sr.
M Ashlyn May, Tahoma, sr.
M Sophie Mayne, Curtis, jr.
F Elise Miller, Gig Harbor, jr.
M Ava Morton, Sumner, sr.
GK Rory Murry, Auburn Riverside, sr.
GK Madi Mungia, Bellarmine Prep, sr.
M Taylie Nowels, Sumner, sr.
F Jaylee Reynolds, Bonney Lake, jr.
F Caitlyn Riggs, Auburn Riverside, jr.
GK Tyler Roberts, Stadium, soph.
F/M Malia Salema, Bellarmine Prep, sr.
F Josie Schampera, Enumclaw, sr.
F Emalyn Shaffer, Tumwater, jr.
D Olivia Sides, Tahoma, jr.
D Addison Stendera, Kentridge, jr.
F Grace Widergren, Graham-Kapowsin, sr.
M Aleigha Woodland, Fife, jr.
This story was originally published September 19, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
