Olympia’s three senior soccer captains embrace versatility to grab 4A SPSL South lead

Not many high school soccer teams will field a stronger defensive unit than Olympia’s girls did last season.

Goalkeeper Eva Wirth was The Olympian’s All-Area player of the year and moved on to earn the bulk of the starts in goal at Pacific Lutheran University. Defenders Callie Barnett (Northwest), Landry McCann (Seattle Pacific) and Grace Wilhelm (Westmont) joined Wirth on the all-area team and currently play ample minutes as college freshmen.

“Losing our whole back line was a concern, but I was hopeful because I knew what was coming,” said Bears’ coach Tamara Liska, whose team was 8-4-1 overall and atop its division of the 4A South Puget Sound League following a 5-0 road rout of Emerald Ridge on Tuesday night.

Olympia couldn’t replace the stellar defense from last season’s 9-1-1 team overnight, but Liska knew she had a versatile squad, led by a trio of senior co-captains.

Midfielders Lyv Heistand and Emma Hays and high-scoring Katelyn Rigg grabbed Liska’s attention as eighth graders attending the Bears’ pre-season camp and have developed into the core of this year’s squad.

“They’ve really stepped up,” said Liska. “It’s been a weird year. It’s a normal season, but we’re still dealing with COVID. Those three have been vocal. They have a wonderful presence. They’ve led us through all the different turns and pivots.”

The seniors see their contributions as a natural step in a progression that started when, as long-time rec and TC United teammates, they served as Bears’ ball girls during middle school before coming to camp.

“We were all so invested. We were middle schoolers participating in a high school event,” said Heistand.

It wasn’t lost on the trio the Bears’ roster going into their senior season was significantly different than it had been.

“We had an incredible defense the past four years. It was a point that was highlighted a lot,” said Rigg, who leads the Bears’ with 11 goals this season and also has three assists. “Even then, though, we knew our team went beyond our back line. There’s always anxiety when there are spots to be filled, but there was confidence we could rebuild.”

Talented junior defenders such as Jocelyn Kruse, Lucy Clarke, Kenadi Schreiner, Linnea Hennen and Grace Cutlip jumped into the spots vacated by those college-bound players. Sophomore Claudia Wilson is the new keeper.

“I thought it was going to be difficult, but the juniors have stepped up tremendously,” said Hays, who has scored nine goals to go with seven assists. “They’ve filled in those spots where we had a senior last year and done an amazing job.”

Ongoing COVID protocols have occasionally sapped the Bears’ depth, prompting Liska to call on her current team’s greatest strength: versatility.

“I have so many kids that I can move into different positions,” said Liska.

That included her senior standouts. Both Rigg and Heistand have played center back at times.

“There was a lot of trust from our coach and our team mates,” said Rigg. “I play outside forward, Lyv plays center mid, so we’re not defenders at all. It’s awesome our team mates had faith in us that we could do the job.”

Heistand agreed.

“It was nerve-wracking switching my mindset from distributing in the midfield to protecting the goal and getting the ball out on defense,” she said. “I was nervous about making the switch but once it happened my teammates were communicating with me well.”

Liska wasn’t worried. She believed both Rigg, who was fifth in the 800 meters at the 4A state track meet as a freshman, and Heistand had the gifts to play where needed.

“Katelyn was incredible. She just said ‘OK, here we go,’” Liska said. “She’s tall, she’s strong, she’s exceptionally fast. When she shifts gears it’s fun to watch.

“I call Lyv a little wrecking ball because she has such a strong presence. She played forward against Emerald Ridge so that was really fun for her. She has a great attitude.”

Typically, Heistand and Hays play in the midfield, “stacked on top of each other,” Liska said, Hays focused on offense, Heistand on defense.

“Neither of them are big, but in soccer terms we call them ‘big bodied.’ They can physically hold their own, verbally hold their own and they can do things that make you say ‘how did that just happen.’ Emma can do magic things with her feet. She can get out of pickles in ways that are just amazing to watch.”

Hays, Heistand and Rigg were all called up from junior varsity to the Bears’ 2018 team that swept through district games with Auburn Riverside and Puyallup before losing to Skyline in the first round of the state tournament.

That last season’s talented Olympia team, which outscored opponents 52-4, didn’t have the possibility of state tournament play, makes this year’s group eager to get through districts.

“We could have done really well last season,” said Hays. “We had a super solid team. This year we have another solid team and could go far.”

The Bears haven’t always stood out among the collection of powerhouse teams in the 4A SPSL, which Heistand sees as an advantage.

“We’ve always been labeled as the underdog,” she said. “It’s exciting to go into the post-season and sneak up on people.”

Rigg puts her convictions in writing prior to every match.

“I write ‘BEAT EVERYONE’ on the board in our locker room. We all think we can be state champions.”