LACEY — Duwan Tyson knew as soon as he laid eyes on a Kinsley Phillips shot attempt for the first time that she was different.
“She smells goals,” the first-year River Ridge girls soccer head coach said. “Goal scoring is a mental thing, and that kid literally smells goals. It’s like a shark with blood.”
The freshman striker is now up to eight goals in her first seven career games after securing a brace in a 7-0 River Ridge blowout of Mount Tahoma Thursday night at Nisqually Middle School.
Ever since Phillips scored two goals in her prep debut against Tumwater, she hasn’t looked back, and that aggressive mentality has trickled down to the rest of the banged-up Hawks roster.
Fellow freshman Avaiyah Reed also earned the first brace of her career on a rainy night that saw the River Ridge Hawks reach somewhere in the ballpark of 40 shots against Mount Tahoma.
“They were moving the ball like they were supposed to. They were creating opportunities. They were using space to their advantage,” Tyson said. “I’m happy about that. If you create space, you will create the opportunity. They moved the ball, and the goals revealed themselves.”
Coincidentally, seven goals against Mount Tahoma is the most the Hawks have scored in a game since the last time they played the Thunderbirds on Sept. 16, 2025, when they earned an 8-0 shutout.
River Ridge’s defense was also responsible for many of its offensive chances and set pieces Thursday night. The Hawks blitzed the T-Birds right out of the gate with a corner kick and a missed shot by Emily Schelling before the Nisqually Middle School scoreboard could even update to the accurate clock.
In the 11th minute, Phillips drove a corner kick right into the back of the net for the first goal of the night. Three minutes later, Reed delivered a penalty kick to put the Hawks up 2-0.
A fight, which resulted in one player on each team receiving a red card, broke out in the 19th minute. Both teams were forced to play 10-on-10, but the Hawks kept their foot on the gas pedal offensively despite one fewer player.
Junior Mareli Torres-Jimenez and Schelling both scored within four minutes of each other to give River Ridge a 4-0 halftime lead. In the first minute of the second half, River Ridge stole the ball near Mount Tahoma’s box, and Phillips found the back of the net on a rebound.
River Ridge goalkeeper Madilyn Prado was replaced in net late in the second half, and she scored a goal as an outfield player on an assist by Schelling in the 67th minute. Reed added to her career day with a goal in the final three minutes.
For most of the night, Schelling was the facilitator for the Hawks’ offense, scoring a goal and assisting on another. Many of River Ridge’s clean looks were sparked by her high IQ.
“We have a great 10 in Emily. She’s a great play creator. We’ve got a good defensive block, and we’re also creative in our ball movement,” Tyson said. “We use our wings, and we filter through the middle. Ultimately, we try to find Kinsley, but if you circulate the ball, the goal will eventually show where it needs to be scored from. We’ve got a team full of goal scorers, but we’ve got one exceptional one.”
River Ridge (3-1-3, 1-1-0 Puget Sound League) earned their first win of the league season with the shutout of Mount Tahoma. The Hawks have a tough slate next week with home games against Timberline and Lakes.
The first order of business for the Hawks is to return some players to their lineup. Sophomore midfielder Paige Arko, junior Kinsley Jones, and junior midfielder Phoebe Cox were all sidelined against Mount Tahoma.
But, Tyson was impressed with the second unit and the junior varsity players who stepped in for the short-staffed Hawks, including freshman defender Anna Dumitrescu.
“Anna did a great job for a freshman walking in. Her soccer IQ, which is something you can’t really teach, is quality,” Tyson said. “She came off the bench and filled in for us and did a great job.”
Less touches and more movement on offense is the goal for Tyson and the Hawks heading into next week’s big matchups, and feeding Phillips hasn’t been a bad recipe either.
“She’s a tough kid. If it’s there, she’s gonna go for it,” Tyson said of Phillips.
