Spudders rallied to tie championship match twice in the second half, then beat West Valley of Spokane in penalty kicks
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
The Ridgefield Spudders made school history Saturday evening, capturing the school’s first state championship in girls soccer.
Ridgefield rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit and then a 2-1 deficit late in the match, forced overtime, then won the Class 2A state title in penalty kicks (3-1) to take down top-seed West Valley of Spokane at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
Senior Ava Kruckenberg put the ball in the net to clinch the penalty kicks, kicking off a celebration that could be heard from Tacoma to Ridgefield.
Brielle Suomi had Ridgefield’s first goal of the night to tie the match in the second half.
West Valley took the lead again, but with about five minutes left in regulation, Ellie Wilson scored for the Spudders to tie the match.
Ridgefield controlled possession for most of the second half and both overtimes, as well. The Spudders just missed winning the match in regulation, with shots coming just seconds apart that were barely off target.
Ridgefield got off to a fast start in penalty kicks when Victoria Lasch scored. Then Ridgefield goalkeeper Gabriela Semlick got a save.
Both teams missed in the second round. West Valley made a save on Ridgefield’s third kick, and West Valley tied the series with its goal.
Nora Martin scored in the fourth round for Ridgefield. It appeared Semlick got a hand on West Valley’s attempt, and the ball ricocheted off the crossbar for a miss.
That set up Kruckenberg with a chance to win it.
She delivered.
Ridgefield came into the tournament the seventh seed. After the Spudders won their opening round with ease, they beat the No. 2 seed, Fife, then No. 3, Columbia River, and finally, the top seed in West Valley.
Clark County Today hopes to meet with the team in the coming days for a follow-up report on the state champions.
Columbia River, meanwhile, bounced back from Friday’s semifinal loss to Ridgefield and won the third-place match, 2-1 over East Valley of Yakima.
In Class 1A, La Center finished fourth — the best finish in program history. La Center lost in the semifinals on Friday night, then fell to Montesano in the third-place match Saturday.
In Class 3A volleyball, the Prairie Falcons made it to the quarterfinals on Friday before losing, then won two matches Saturday to claim the fifth-place trophy.
In Class 4A volleyball, the Camas Papermakers finished in sixth place after reaching the state quarterfinals on Friday.
Also read:
- USA Basketball to hold free youth basketball clinic Friday, April 11
USA Basketball is hosting a free youth clinic for kids of all abilities at the Clark County YMCA in Vancouver on Friday, April 11. - Camas’ Keirra Thompson named Miss Washington — state’s top senior basketball player
Camas senior Keirra Thompson earns Miss Washington, capping a stellar career. - Calling it ‘Baseballism,’ organizers hosting 24 high school baseball teams in Clark CountyBaseballism tournament brings 24 high school teams to Clark County turf fields for a multi-site showcase of talent
- The Study of Sports Podcast, March 14, 2025: A recap of state basketball, and a discussion on the formats of Washington tournamentsA new episode of The Study of Sports Podcast dives into Washington state basketball tournament formats, celebrating standout teams and players, and sharing insights from Spring Training.
- State basketball: Columbia River shines to take fourth place: Camas ends up sixthColumbia River secures fourth place, and Camas ties for sixth in the Washington state high school basketball championships
Congratulations Spudders! Helps being the second largest 2A school in the state.