RIDGEFIELD — When the Class 2A girls soccer state tournament bracket was released Sunday and Ridgefield earned the No. 1 seed, the Spudders’ evolution from David to Goliath was further solidified.
Last season, the Spudders relished their status as a No. 7 seed on the way to winning the program’s first state title, ending with a penalty kick shootout win over top seed West Valley (Spokane).
“We were the underdogs last year,” Ridgefield senior Baylee Bushnell said. “Now we have a huge target on our back. There’s no hiding this year.”
No longer with the luxury of flying under the radar at state, Ridgefield passed its opening round test with a 4-0 win over Nathan Hale on Tuesday at home.
Tori Lasch paced the Spudders (19-1-1) with two goals, Bushnell scored near the end of the first half and Savvy Semlick added a goal in the 44th minute, helping the program reach its fifth consecutive appearance in the state quarterfinals.
Ridgefield will play host to the winner of No. 9 Fife and No. 8 Cedarcrest on Saturday at 1 p.m., with a trip to the state final four on the line.
“I think it was just good to come in with momentum. We want to take that through the entire state playoffs,” Ridgefield senior Abigail Vance said. “Every team now is a good team, so (we’re) just taking it one game at a time. That’s our mentality.”
A fast start Tuesday helped Ridgefield settle in. Lasch scored a goal from straight on assisted by Ellie Wilson just two minutes into the game, one of several hard-charging scoring chances the Spudders had early.
But during more than 30 scoreless minutes to follow, the Spudders controlled the game with a heavy leg up in possession, leaving the Raiders of Seattle (9-7-2) few opportunities to reach the final third with no shots on goal. For Ridgefield’s midfield and defensive back line, their mission was accomplished.
“That’s a big thing we take pride in,” Vance said. “Our defense, we say lock down, because we know they can’t score if they don’t get a shot off. … And then 50/50 balls, we take pride in winning those off the headers (and) off the kicks.”
That heavy lifting bought Ridgefield plenty of time to heat up on offense with three goals scored during a 10-minute stretch, including back-to-back strikes from Bushnell and Lasch to send the Spudders to halftime with a 3-0 lead.
Semlick provided the exclamation point in the 44th minute on a shot from the right corner extended that tucked inside the far post. It was a similar area of the field that Semlick scored against Columbia River in last Saturday’s district championship game to spot Ridgefield an early 1-0 lead.
“Honestly, I was crossing it,” Semlick admitted with a laugh. “But, I mean, I’ll take it.”
With of the other seven 2A first-round games slated to be played Wednesday, the Spudders have an extra day of recovery going into the quarterfinals. They planned to take full advantage with an off day Wednesday before returning to train and watch film in preparation of another win-or-go-home game Saturday.
“I think the goal is just to stay humble with it,” Semlick said. “Like, maybe we’re at the top, but it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. Any game could go either way — and we can always strive to be better.”
RIDGEFIELD 4, NATHAN HALE 0
Nathan Hale
Goalkeeper saves — Fiona Deakin 5.
Ridgefield
Goals (assists) — Tori Lasch (Ellie Wilson), Baylee Bushnell (Alyssa Carney), Lasch (unassisted), Savvy Semlick (unassisted). Match standout — Abigail Vance.
Halftime — 3-0.
