All season long, the Toledo Riverhawks were a team that prided themselves on their defense.
Across 19 games this season, the Riverhawks only allowed more than two goals three times, and all three of those games were against teams from higher classifications. In nine league games, they allowed just two goals en route to an unbeaten league campaign and a C2BL title.
Kailea Lairson anchored Toledo’s back line throughout, earning C2BL Defensive MVP honors, and she is The Chronicle’s 2025 All-Area Most Valuable Player.
Lairson did it both ways for Toledo, combining her stout defensive play with five goals and four assists offensively.
“I take a lot of pride in helping my team,” Lairson said. “But it’s not just me. I think the whole team, we really all contribute … We don’t just have one person, but there’s a lot of us that contribute in many different ways.”
Lairson helped lead a talented Toledo team to a bye in the district tournament, where the Riverhawks shut out Adna in a semifinal and kept Napavine off the scoreboard in both regulation and extra time.
The penalty shootout didn’t go Toledo’s way, though, and the Riverhawks finished as the District 4 runner-up for the second year in a row.
“It motivated us a lot to get better at PKs,” Lairson said. “But also, we didn’t let it control us that much. We moved on.”
Lairson and the Riverhawks advanced to the state tournament for the second year in a row, and though they lost in the first round, she and her teammates are looking forward to building on another successful season.
“Our team chemistry sticks out to me,” Lairson said. “Getting back to the district championship proved that we improved a lot throughout the season.”
The Chronicle’s 2025 All-Area Girls Soccer Team:
Forwards
Callie Mickelson, Tenino
Mickelson had the best year of her high school career, scoring 21 goals and adding five assists to help lead Tenino back to the state tournament for the first time in four years.
Maria Summers, Tenino
Summers also had a career year offensively, scoring 10 goals and dishing out seven assists to earn first-team all-league honors and help get the Beavers back to state.
Ashlen Gruginski, W.F. West
W.F. West’s go-to forward scored 12 goals and added nine assists to help the Bearcats get within one win of the state tournament.
Hayden Kaut, Napavine
Kaut had another outstanding season for the Tigers, leading the Napavine offense with 16 goals and six assists to help the Tigers reach the state quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
Kaiyah Sandridge, Onalaska
Onalaska’s top striker was nearly unstoppable in and around the box all season long, scoring on 43 percent of her shots on goal to post 21 goals and nine assists en route to earning C2BL Co-MVP honors.
Xtyn Norberg, Toledo
The Toledo freshman impressed all season long, scoring 15 goals and tallying 11 assists while on her way to winning C2BL Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Ella Jarmin, Black Hills
A two-time all-area honoree, Jarmin led the Wolves to a third place finish in the EvCo and a district tourney berth with 11 goals and nine assists.
Midfielders
Kayla Pope, Tumwater
The former all-area MVP wrapped up her prep career with her second EvCo overall Player of the Year award thanks to 11 goals and 10 assists.
Sophie Boatright, Tumwater
Boatright led the T-Birds in goals with 13, helping them return to the Class 2A state tournament and earned Offensive Player of the Year.
Ava Humphrey, Adna
One of the most potent midfielders in the C2BL led the Pirates back to the Class 2B district tournament with 10 assists and eight goals.
Onica Chase, Toledo
The junior was lauded for her tactical skills that landed her the C2BL Co-MVP with 10 goals and seven assists. She led the Riverhawks back to the state tournament.
Hannah Fay, Napavine
An impactful senior in the midfield, Fay helped lead the Tigers to their second straight district title and state quarterfinal appearance with seven goals and five dimes.
Defenders
Jayden Krogness, Centralia
The first-team all-EvCo defender was a catalyst in the Tigers’ four shutout victories this season and she rarely was taken off the field.
Elizabeth Mittge, W.F. West
The senior scored the game-winning penalty kick in the district tourney and was the captain of the defense that gave up 10 total goals in the regular season.
Chloe Foos, Tumwater
Foos led a Tumwater back line that allowed just three goals across the EvCo season, and she also chipped in two assists and was named to the EvCo’s All-League First-Team.
Goalkeepers
Charlee Nelson, W.F. West
In 11 regular season matches, Charlee Nelson tallied 74 saves and allowed only five goals en route to earning EvCo Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Taylen Evander, Napavine
The C2BL’s first-team keeper was a wall in net all season, saving 70 shots and logging 11 shutouts, and she also saved three PKs in the district title game to help the Tigers repeat as district champions.
Gracie Sweet, Tenino
Sweet posted nine shutouts and 79 saves in net across the season, helping Tenino reach the state tournament for the first time since 2021.
