Spudders off to strong start

RIDGEFIELD — Ridgefield girls soccer coach Robby Trimbo admittedly turns to all the cliches when talking about his team: culture, tradition, heritage, accountability.

He does so not out off convenience, but sincerity.

This year’s Spudders have a different air to them. It’s made them 7-0; it’s allowed them to outscore opponents 33-3; and it’s precisely the reason why talented young freshmen can excel alongside the experienced veterans.

On Tuesday night, the Spudders again showed why this season has the potential to be special.

Brooke Weese scored twice and the Spudders ran to a 4-0 2A Greater St. Helens League win over Hockinson, which eliminated Ridgefield in last year’s district playoffs.

“Especially after last year, we had a lot of stuff to prove,” Weese said. “Very exciting for us.”

The seniors were impressive, as Weese netted a low bullet in the 19th minute to open the scoring and scored again on a free kick in the 42nd. Annika Farley scored on a penalty kick in the 26th.

It was also the youngsters playing their roles, as freshman Claire Jones tallied a late score on an assist by sophomore Paytn Barnette. Freshman Ella Krause was a big part of the shutout on defense. Jones has five goals on the year already.

“My teammates have welcomed me in with open arms,” Jones said. “I know if I make a mistake, they’re there to help me. They’re not there to criticize or anything.”

Weese added: “I know when I was a freshman, I had a very welcoming senior class. They’re still my best friends to this day. I wanted them to feel the same way.”

It helps, Trimbo believes, that young girls in Ridgefield grow up watching the high school team.

Jones watched every Spudder game as an eighth-grader and Trimbo sees future players as young as third graders watching from the stands.

“One thing, I love about Ridgefield, a small-town thing, is that they have stories of coming here as little kids watching,” Trimbo said. “This is like a childhood dream for them. So having a senior come in and say to them, ‘this is how we’re going to do it’ takes off a lot of the pressure.”

On Tuesday, all that came together in a complete effort from the Spudders, who were more focused on their own improvements in the early-season test than the redemption game against the rival Hawks

“We were just trying to get back to us,” Trimbo said. “It’s a phenomenal group; they’ve been killing themselves in training to get better. So for us, we’re super proud of them.”

The Spudders travel to take on Mark Morris on Thursday, as they seek a 4-0 start to league play. Hockinson (3-2-1, 1-2) hosts Washougal on Thursday.