Tuesday night’s bout with Ridgefield might have been a game the Columbia River girls soccer team would have lost last season.
Struck with adversity in the first half, a 1-0 deficit, the Chieftains instead took a big leap toward reclaiming a league title that slipped their grasp a year ago.
Reggie Griffith and Julia Cash scored goals to lead the Chieftains to a comeback 2-1 victory over 2A Greater St. Helens League foe Ridgefield on a chilly autumn night.
“I took a step back after we got scored on, and I wanted to see how they were going to respond,” River coach Filly Afenegus said. “I’ll give them credit. I feel like we got much better after we got scored on. It was great.”
The Chieftains are hungry to reclaim the league crown won by Hockinson last season. Despite winning a district title and advancing to the state’s final four, Columbia River was bested in the 12-game league slate. Now at 9-0 and 6-0 in league play, the Chieftains are showing they’ve picked up where they left off at the end of last year.
“I think it’s huge,” Cash said. “This is the biggest competition of the season, so this was like setting the standard. Not like being too comfortable, but getting this big win is really important to us.”
Griffith’s goal in the 34th minute, on an assist from Andie Buckley, was a bullet from 23 yards that skipped into the side netting, tying the score at 1-1. Early on in the second half, Julia Cash scored a rebound goal off a corner kick that proved to be the winner.
“We practiced that if we get scored on, to get the ball right away, sprint back and keep the intensity up,” Cash said. “Stay on our toes and bounce back. We did that.”
There’s a lot of season still remaining, but the Chieftains, a state semifinalist the past three years, are plenty confident after running through the first half of league without a blemish.
And that says a lot about the Spudders’ progress as a unit in the past year.
Ridgefield (8-2 overall, 4-2 league) looked the better half on Tuesday for the first 30 minutes, and showed they can go toe to toe with one of the best squads in the state. Brooke Weese netted a beauty of a goal in the 25th minute with a perfect header that slipped inside the upright off a corner kick from Claire Jones.
“I always think the hallmark of any great team is good players and hard work and execution,” Afenegus said. “They have all three of those things going for them. So I’m proud of my girls hanging in there to get the win against a really quality side.”
The Spudders are undoubtedly a team the Chieftains are expecting to see at least a couple more times this season. The two meet again in the season finale on Oct. 29.
