The grind of the season hasn’t grounded the Columbia River girls soccer team.
The Chieftains enter the Class 2A state semifinals with plenty of momentum.
Columbia River (17-3-1) has won 14 consecutive matches headed into Friday’s semifinal against Selah. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. in Shoreline.
The Chieftains are coming off a 2-0 quarterfinal win that saw them take the lead in the first minute, then hold North Kitsap without a shot over the final 30 minutes.
“Our last game was our best of the season,” coach Filomon Afenegus said.
A soccer season can be filled with highs and lows. What’s the secret to peaking at the right time?
“It’s important to keep things fun,” Afenegus said. “For girls to do soccer five to six days a week for months on end, you have to keep things fresh or else burnout will start to creep in.”
That’s why if Columbia River hoists the state championship trophy this weekend, it will be in part because of another, more obscure trophy.
Afenegus calls it the team’s Legacy Cup. At the start of the season, the team is split into six groups that compete in tasks ranging from silly skits to team-building exercises. The group with with most points at season’s end wins the cup.
But this week, the semifinals alone have been enough to put an extra pep in the players’ step. The Chieftains are headed to the semifinals for the third time in five years. They won the 3A state title in 2012 and placed third in 2014.
Ellie Walker has been a crucial part of River’s success. The senior forward scored her team-leading 25th goal early in last weekend’s quarterfinal win.
“She’s on a great run right now,” Afenegus said. “It’s a testament to our entire team coming together and each girl knowing her role. Ellie’s role is to score goals.”
Walker was recently named the co-offensive MVP of the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League, an honor shared with fellow University of Portland commit Taryn Ries of Ridgefield.
Behind Walker is a stout defense led by 2A GSHL co-defensive MVP Katie Anthony. Sophia Keenan and Sophie Landers also earned first-team all-league honors for a team that has allowed just three goals in its past nine matches.
The Chieftains have also scored at least three goals in 13 of their past 15 matches.
With all cylinders firing, the Columbia River enters the final four buoyed by confidence, not hampered by fatigue.
“More than anything, it’s just about us,” Afenegus said. “If we take care of what we can control, we’ll be fine.”
