LACEY — Shortly after Daniel Arevalo arrived at River Ridge High School as the new head boys soccer coach after a two-year stint at Foss, he sent a message to the community that began with a four-word message.
“A new era begins.”
Arevalo acknowledged in his message that growth and change will not happen overnight for a program that most recently completed a 0-13-3 season in 2025. The success story, he said, sprouts from commitment, resilience and belief in the standard.
“This is not about overnight change,” he wrote. “It’s about long-term culture. Let’s define it together.”
In the 2026 season opener at South Sound Stadium on a rainy Wednesday night, the River Ridge boys soccer team lost to Washington 3-2, but the outcome is far from the story in the team’s view. The story is how a young and inexperienced team, led by five returners on the roster and four freshmen in the starting lineup, took a Patriots team that went to their district quarterfinals and won 11 games last year to the brink.
“The freshman group held their own against a very experienced Washington team,” Arevalo said after the game.
The new era of River Ridge soccer began with Washington scoring two quick goals in the first 11 minutes. The first came off of a corner kick eight minutes into the game, and the second came off of a ricocheted shot off the diving fingertips of Hawks keeper Braxton Martinez and over to an open Patriot for the goal at the 11-minute mark.
River Ridge immediately responded, scoring its first goal of the year off of the leg of freshman Nehemiah Best, who broke free from a defender and struck the ball into the net from about 20 yards out in the 13th minute.
Down 3-1 at halftime, Arevalo gave a passionate speech to his team on the sideline. He asked them to play with courage, which he said doesn’t always lead to wins, but he was confident a jolt of energy could help his team get back in the game.
It took some time as the conditions worsened, but River Ridge showed that it accepted Arevalo’s coaching collectively. The Hawks played aggressively, made smart passes, defended well, and played with increased energy and hustle.
River Ridge earned a free kick in the 77th minute, and junior captain Marco Villa’s boot found a pile of cleats near the penalty box and somehow connected with Dylan Pinney’s foot for the Hawks’ second goal. His score marked the first time the Hawks have scored multiple goals in a game since March 18, 2025, breaking a streak of 13 games of scoring one or fewer goals.
But the Hawks wasted no time celebrating as the clock wound down. They immediately got into position for the kickoff and continued to play with courage. Their defense shut out the Patriots in the second half after giving up three in the first half.
“I loved how they played in the second half. They played more aggressively and confidently. I’m really excited about that,” Arevalo, who has also coached a recreational soccer team in Olympia for over a decade, said. “We just needed a little bit more passion in that second half.”
Across the River Ridge boys soccer program, 60 student athletes turned out to suit up for the Hawks — 20 for varsity, 20 for junior varsity, and 20 for C-team. The pipeline is building, and the work is being put in to elevate the standard for the program looking for its first winning season since 2021.
“We have good numbers. That shows that there’s an interest and desire to play here at River Ridge,” Arevalo said. “Also, I see how the boys train and their work. If they didn’t want it, they wouldn’t be working hard and they wouldn’t be OK with the extra film sessions that we’re going to do and the extra practices that we do on Saturdays. If they want it, then we can make something happen.”
River Ridge (0-1) will hit the road Friday to take on W.F. West in Chehalis.
