Tumwater coach Abbey Bergquist knows that day in and day out, the Thunderbirds are going to get everyone’s best shot.
When the T-Birds rolled into Chehalis on Thursday night with a chance to all but officially lock down another EvCo title, she was confident that her group would be ready for the challenge.
“Every single time we step on the field, we have to prove that we’re Tumwater,” Tumwater coach Abbey Bergquist said. “Tonight was another opportunity for us to prove that.”
The T-Birds proved their might once again, holding off a W.F. West comeback attempt in a 2-1 victory that all but ensures another league title.
The Bearcats came out strong, putting pressure on the Tumwater back line early on, but the Thunderbirds were able to strike first.
Sophie Boatright opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and eight minutes later, Brielle Clark was able to put in a loose ball in the net to double the advantage.
Tumwater was in complete control, but it didn’t take W.F. West long to punch back.
In the 32nd minute, Sable Bunker knocked home a loose ball in the box to cut the deficit to one, and in the second half, the Bearcats continued to push for an equalizer.
“It would be really easy to start to fold, but we kept playing,” W.F. West coach Kevin Schultz said. “It shows their character, and it shows their mental toughness to come back and battle.”
W.F. West’s best chance at the tying goal came in the 64th minute, when a shot from Ashlen Gruginski got past the keeper, but Tumwater’s Chloe Foos was able to clear the ball before it crossed the goal line.
The Bearcats never got closer than that shot, and the majority of the final 15 minutes was played in W.F. West’s half.
Charlee Nelson, W.F. West’s usual keeper, missed the game due to an injury, leading to senior Alabama Ropka stepping in as the Bearcat netminder.
“She was huge,” Schultz said. “She made some really important saves in the second half … We have a lot of depth at a position that a lot of schools don’t. She’s gonna have to step up over these next few games.”
Schultz also commended Reese Mishler, who trailed Tumwater’s Kayla Pope in the midfield throughout the entire game.
”She played a heck of a game,” Schultz said. “She did exactly what we asked her to do.”
At 5-2 in league play, the Bearcats (9-2-1, 5-2 2A EvCo) will most likely finish second in the EvCo standings, which would give them a home playoff game.
Before the district tournament, though, they’ll wrap up their regular season with a trip to Aberdeen and home matchups against Centralia and Shelton.
“We have to take that intensity and that energy that we had in the second half and apply it to these next few games,” Schultz said. “We have to play every game like it’s a playoff game.”
Tumwater (8-3-1, 7-0 2A EvCo) will host Ridgefield in a non-league game on Saturday before hosting Shelton, heading to Black Hills, and hosting Centralia to round out its regular season.
“I’m just excited to continue to build with this group,” Bergquist said. “To sharpen some of the details and pieces that are still needing some attention so that we can head into the postseason as refreshed and sharp as possible.”
