RIDGEFIELD — This time, one goal was enough for the Ridgefield boys soccer team.
The Spudders scored a first-half goal on Thursday, then made sure it was enough for a 1-0 win over visiting R.A. Long in the Class 2A District 4 championship match. In addition to the district title, the win means Ridgefield can play at home for the first two rounds of the state tournament.
Ridgefield (16-2-1) will host an opponent yet to be determined for the round of 16. That match will likely be played on Tuesday. R.A. Long (13-5-1) will also host a match in the first round of the state tournament.
The goal that gave Ridgefield its third win of the year over R.A. Long was scored by right winger Travis Gottsch eight minutes before halftime. Max Hauser won possession in midfield and sent a diagonal forward pass that found Gottsch in space behind the defense. His shot from the right side of the penalty area found the left side of the net.
“(Hauser) gets all the credit because he played a beautiful ball. All I had to do was shoot it in the corner,” Gottsch said.
The play started with a meeting of the 2A Greater St. Helens League’s co-players of the year. Hauser anticipated a move by R.A. Long’s Jesus Alonso Hernandez-DeLaGarza and came away with the ball. He started to dribble at the defense but saw a better option.
“The coaches were telling me to dribble at the defense, but I saw Travis bombing down the right and couldn’t resist,” Hauser said. “I just tried to put it into his stride, and he put it away really nicely.”
The Spudders rallied for a 4-3 win at R.A. Long last month, giving up three first-half goals. Playing on their home artificial surface Thursday, the Spudders were able to keep the Lumberjacks in front of them much of the game.
“We came out a lot faster this time, which has been a problem this season,” Ridgefield midfielder Brittan Gullickson said. “We finally came out hard and fast and got one early so it made it a lot easier on us.”
It took some steady play in the second half to get it done. R.A. Long managed only one shot on target after halftime, but the Lumberjacks pressed hard for the tying goal and had possession for most of the five extra minutes of stoppage time. Gullickson got his head to a dangerous free kick in stoppage time, and on the resulting corner kick the Spudders headed clear a ball that whipped across the 6-yard box.
“It was definitely hectic,” Gullickson said of the finish. “They had a lot of possession in our half. We stood them up well and shut down their good players.”
Gullickson, who played as a defensive midfielder in front of Ridgefield’s back four, said the Spudders didn’t want to give the talented Jacks forwards much space.
“They’re really good on the ball, so we stood them up and didn’t let them get by us and were able to keep them from getting a goal on us,” Gullickson said.
The Spudders might have had a bit more breathing room if not for some strong goalkeeping. Ridgefield forced R.A. Long goalkeeper Elbrilo-Jesus Rodillio to make five first-half saves, one of them a flying grab of a distance shot from Gullickson in the 39th minute.
Ridgefield goalkeeper Joe Lindbo made two saves on shots from outside the penalty area. His biggest plays were cutting off a couple of dangerous crosses, and winning a footrace with an attacker midway through the second half.
“R.A. Long were really competitive. I wish the best of luck to them in the state tournament,” Hauser said. “They’re very good.”
The win gives the district title back to Ridgefield a year after they lost the district final in a penalty-kick tiebreaker.
“We’re just looking at the next step over and over again,” Hauser said. “We do have our long-term goals, but right now we’re just looking at the next game.”
