HOCKINSON — The Ridgefield girls soccer team got the jump on its rival on Tuesday.
A sixth-minute goal from Erin Siegel set the tone and the Spudders beat host Hockinson 3-0 to reach the midpoint of the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League schedule unbeaten. It was the first league loss for the Hawks, who were missing their top scorer and fielded a team of mostly sophomores.
Taryn Ries scored twice for Ridgefield (7-1-2, 6-0 2A GSHL), both after she charged out of midfield and into the penalty area. In the 28th minute Ries made a play that resulted in a handball foul, then calmly converted the penalty kick for a 2-0 lead. She sealed the win with a goal in the 67th minute.
“This game we don’t get as many scoring opportunities because it’s a higher-intensity game, so we have to take care of the chances we get,” Ries said.
Hockinson (7-3, 5-1 2A GSHL) was without top scorer Rylee Seekins. The senior will be back in the Hawks lineup on Thursday, according to coach Joe Chicks who declined to say why Seekins didn’t play.
“We all look forward to this game,” Ries said. “Even though Rylee wasn’t here, we didn’t want that to change anything. This is definitely our biggest game, and having intensity is really important no matter who we’re playing or who’s on the field.”
Pressuring the Hawks all over the field, the Spudders were able to be in the attacking half of the field for long stretches. Hockinson had only two shots on goal, both from long range.
“That’s one thing that we strive for, and that we practice really hard for,” Ridgefield defender Riley Smetzler said of the shutout. “Training last week and this week has been focused on this game and was really intense.”
Siegel’s early goal, off an assist from Brittanie Hoang, not only gave the visitors a lead but increased their confidence.
“I was really happy to get an early goal so that we could relax a little bit into the game and not wind up chasing like crazy,” Ridgefield coach Robbie Trimbo said.
Despite the result, Hockinson coach Chicks said there were encouraging signs for his sophomore-dominant team.
“At moments we played really well,” Chicks said. “We know we’re young. We’re not going to try to play super fast, but we’re skilled, so we’re going to try to slow the game down and possess.”
