RIDGEFIELD — Freshman forward Brooke Weese broke a 3-3 tie with a goal in the 76th minute giving the Spudders a 4-3 win over the visiting Hockinson Hawks in a 2A District 4 winner-to- state/loser out match Saturday.
The victory by the Spudders (14-3-1) gave them the district’s third seed. Ridgefield will face White River, the third seed from District 2, on Wednesday.
Ridgefield was the state runner-up last year.
“I knew our seniors really wanted to go back to state,” Weese said. “We just took it up top, brought it to the corner and I just tried to shoot it into a corner.”
The scoring started in the very first minute. Annika Farley of Ridgefield chased down a cross that went through the goal mouth and sent it back in where Hayley Harris scored to make it 1-0 Spudders.
Trinity Paulsen answered right back for Hockinson (12-5), scoring the first of her two goals on the night by getting behind the defense and scoring in the seventh minute to knot the game at 1.
This was the theme of the night where one team would score and the other one would answer right back.
“We just kept our heads up and kept pushing,” Harris said when Hockinson would tie the score.
“We knew we couldn’t let down, that would just give them more energy. We just kept up the pressure because you’ve got to push back,” Taryn Ries said.
Ries added a goal of her own, outracing a defender for the ball and got it past the onrushing goalkeeper.
RIDGEFIELD 4, HOCKINSON 3
Ridgefield
Goals (assists) — Hayley Harris (Annika Farley), Taryn Ries (unassisted), own goal, Brooke Weese (Ries). Goalkeeper saves — Madalyn Chapman 7, Ellie McCann 1.
Hockinson
Goals (assists) — Trinity Paulsen (Alivia Quitugua), Paulsen (un), Ally Findlay (Paulsen). Goalkeeper saves — Jenna Talarico 4. Coach’s standouts — Paulsen, Jennifer Baertlein.
Halftime — Ridgefield 2-1
