For the first time since 2019, the North Thurston girls soccer team has earned a spot in the district tournament.
In one of the wildest matches of the season in Thurston County, the Rams played to a 3-3 draw with River Ridge at South Sound Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the regular season finale for both teams.
It was a high-stakes game for both teams; North Thurston needed a win or a draw to earn a district bid, while River Ridge needed a win and a Capital loss to Bellarmine to advance. And it was a tale of two halves, as North Thurston came roaring out of the gates with freshman Londyn McKenzie’s hat trick in the first 21 minutes.
Kendall Bamer assisted the first goal, intercepting a pass and feeding McKenzie, who beat the goalie to the ball to tap it home. Aarya Bougher earned the assist for McKenzie’s second goal on a through ball, and Bougher was also credited with the assist on the third goal, allowing McKenzie to finish at the near post.
“The ladies were phenomenal in the first half and played with intensity and purpose,” North Thurston assistant coach Tristan Glaser said. “At halftime, we spoke about how we knew that they were going to give everything they had and what we could do to continue finding success and stopping them from getting into the game.”
Trailing 3-0 and fighting for their postseason lives, the River Ridge Hawks fought back. In the 52nd minute, Ryleigh Camberg sparked the comeback with a goal, and Emily Schelling nailed a penalty kick in the 63rd minute to pull the Hawks within one.
In the 69th minute, Koi Maynard tied the game with a 25-yard free kick. Just seconds later, McKenzie was close to adding a fourth goal, missing off the left post but was called offside. Kinsley Phillips had a chance in the final minute but missed the left-footed shot high.
River Ridge finishes the 2026 season with a 5-5-6 record and 3-5-3 mark in the Puget Sound League.
“We went in with a game plan we had prepared for this game. We simply didn’t execute,” River Ridge head coach Duwan Tyson said. “At halftime, we decided to go on the attack. They played their hearts out and never gave up. In the end, we pulled even, but that wasn’t enough for districts.”
The Rams (5-6-3, 4-5-2 Puget Sound League) honored their seniors Nevaeh Rodriguez, Elaina Brannon, Chelsee Watlington, Molly Littauer and Keara Watlington on senior night. North Thurston will learn of its districts seeding later this week ahead of the start of the tournament on Saturday, Oct. 31.
“Disappointed for the ladies that we could not get a win tonight, but I am so proud of our program and our seniors for leading the team to our first postseason berth in a long time,” Glaser said. “We will learn from tonight and be ready to go Saturday. I’m very proud of this team. Special shoutout to our seniors on senior night tonight for leaving everything they had on the field. I cannot say enough about each and every single one of them.”
River Ridge graduates three seniors: Madilyn Prado, Mareli Torres-Jimenez, and Jordyn Allarde.
