A day after the Capital boys soccer team lost its first league match of the season against Timberline, Cougars head coach Jeremy Richtmyre asked his team a simple question during practice:
What makes this team different from prior years?
It was a valid question, given that the Cougars went from winning just five games in 2025 to entering their final regular season game in 2026 with 12 wins. The words or phrases that stood out the most were “program pride,” “discipline,” “passion,” “family,” and “togetherness.”
Those traits led the Capital Cougars to a Puget Sound League Nisqually Division title.
Capital bounced back from the loss to Timberline and took care of Peninsula 6-2 on senior night Thursday night, led by four second-half goals. The Cougars clinched a spot in the Puget Sound League championship match this weekend, finishing the regular season with a 12-2-2 record and 8-1-1 mark in league play.
“This is a team that believes in itself and has a ton of fight. Regardless of how the postseason goes, these boys have done something special this year,” Richtmyre said. “I believe that if we can put together a full 80 minutes, we can compete with anyone in the state.”
Senior Josue Lopez Juarez, who started the evening by singing the national anthem, scored the match’s first goal in the 21st minute off an assist from Zade Watson. Peninsula came to play against the top team in the league, going back and forth with the Cougars for the final 17 minutes of the first half. The Seahawks scored in the 23rd and 35th, while Leopold Novack netted a goal in the 26th minute from Tanner Fricke’s assist.
Jaden Annan quickly broke the 2-2 halftime tie, finding the back of the net just nine seconds into the second half. The second half was all Cougars from that point, as Tanner Fricke scored twice in a three-minute span and Josh Nguyen registered an unassisted goal in the 69th minute.
Four of the six goals were scored by seniors on senior night. The Cougars veterans capped off their prep careers with a remarkable turnaround, as Capital won five games in 2025, seven in 2024, and two in 2023.
“I think I’m still wrapping my head around it,” four-year senior Landin Vargas said of the division title. “With the struggles our team has had in the past couple years, I wasn’t exactly expecting this, but to show up for the guys and my fellow seniors, my close friends, and fight and earn the title, it truly means a lot. The pride in our program has really grown, and I’m proud to be a leader on this team especially during my senior year.”
Richtmyre, who received a Gatorade bath after the win, took over when the senior group were all freshmen. Seven seniors were honored during senior-night festivities — Leopold Novack, Aslan Gikaru, Tanner Fricke, Landin Vargas, Jack Thompson, Josue Lopez Juarez and Quinton Fisher.
“More so than in other years, this team cares about each other. It’s clear from the interactions,” Richtmyre said. “These are boys that are willing to go to battle for each other. It’s truly great to see regardless of how the rest of the season plays out.”
Capital, which has qualified for the District 3 3A Tournament, will face Silas, the PSL Narrows champion, at Peninsula High School Saturday night for the PSL league title.
