TUMWATER — Passes weren’t connecting in sync. Balls were finding their way behind the back line initially. Goals, for nearly 60 percent of Wednesday’s Class 2A District 4 semifinal match, were at a premium.
Mainly because the Tumwater High School girls soccer team rallied to the box and goalkeeper Wendy Ferrel was stopping nearly everything in her tracks.
“It is not scenarios we face every often,” T-Birds head coach Brett Bartlett said. “We've done it in practice, but now we gotta do it for real. It is not the same.”
Ridgefield kept knocking on the door. It eventually broke through.
A free kick goal in the 53rd minute jump started an 11-minute time frame from first to final goal in the Spudders’ 3-0 triumph over Tumwater to claim a spot in the 2A state tournament and a date with Columbia River on Saturday for the district title.
It took an onslaught of chances and total shots – 18 – for Ridgefield (16-1-1) to beat the T-Birds for the second time this season, both via shutout.
“Our challenge was we were really reactionary,” Bartlett said. “It was one of those nights. Dribbling, passing, receiving, all those things are a little off every once in a while. Only way you can overcome that is work, work, work. We needed to work harder.”
About the only thing that wasn’t off was Ferrel’s play.
The junior was mainly a spectator in Evergreen Conference matches, having a down-the-field look at her teammates scoring goals.
This time around, she prevented tallies.
Ridgefield recorded several chances in the opening 40 minutes, including back-to-back shots on goal in the 30th and 31st minute that Ferrel turned aside. Despite the flurry, it was deadlocked at zeros entering the locker room.
“Wendy was amazing,” Bartlett said. “She stays alert, she stays in good position. She performs.”
The Spudders broke through in the 53rd minute on a free kick from Baylee Bushnell that found the head of Ellie Wilson. Three minutes later, Tori Lasch fired a bottom right corner strike and Nora Martin capped the second half outburst in the 64th minute.
Tumwater (14-3-2) turned up the offensive pressure within the first five minutes of the second half, attempting two corner kicks and finishing with four shots on goal.
“They were splitting us more,” Bartlett said. “We did everything, but finish chances.”
Things went from bad to worse late in the match for Tumwater.
Star center back Allison Woods was injured on a collision from a Ridgefield goal that was eventually wiped off due to offsides. The senior didn’t put any pressure on her leg in being helped off.
She left the stadium in crutches. Bartlett won’t know the status of her for Saturday’s winner-to-state match versus R.A. Long, who upended Mark Morris 6-0 in an elimination game, at home.
When the two sides met in the regular season, the T-Birds other senior center back Trinity Edwards was injured and hasn’t played since.
Tumwater remains one win away from fully avenging last year’s abrupt end in the district tournament. Even in a setback, Bartlett remains confident in his bunch to continue its season into mid-November.
“They’re very capable, they’ll respond,” he said. “We (have) to make some adjustments, we’ll figure that out and move forward.”
