Rams ready to strike
You won’t hear the cry, “Wait till next year” around the Riverside Rams girls’ soccer team this fall.
With 10 seniors and eight juniors on the squad – that’s it, no freshmen or sophomores – hopes run high for the Rams, who have qualified for the State AA tournament out of the Great Northern League the last two years and been eliminated in the first round both times.
The school has been a traditional GNL powerhouse, including the years until 1996 when Riverside and Deer Park were combined for soccer.
The Rams have a new coach this year, longtime assistant Sally Ostby, who has worked in the Riverside School District since 1989 and been involved in the soccer program since 1997. Both her children played soccer at the school, where they graduated several years ago.
Ostby replaces three-year coach Missy Strasberg, who stepped down after last year’s GNL championship season. Ostby, who began coaching in the Riverside youth program in 1988 and had coached developmental and club teams before joining the Rams staff, is looking forward to a strong season with girls she’s known for many years.
The Rams have three four-year varsity players, tri-captains Tracy Bowen, Britney Paul and Terri Dalnes. Bowen and Paul, along with senior goalkeeper Ronda Christenson, were first-team all-GNL last season. Christenson elected not to turn out this season.
Midfielder Bowen, said Ostby, is a strong leader on and off the field, an outstanding distance runner in the spring who has chosen soccer over cross country in the fall because of her love for the game.
“I first started playing soccer in the third grade,” she said, “and I loved it right away. I’m good at cross-country, but soccer gives me much more enjoyment. The track coach is always trying to change my mind, but I just tell him, ‘Sorry, I like running, but I love soccer.’ “
Looking back, Bowen recognizes the big steps she’s made over the years.
“It was huge for me to make varsity as a freshman because I was so small,” she said. “It feels pretty awesome to be a leader on this team. All of us are experienced, and everyone looks up to you as a captain. I feel good in this role.”
Paul has started since her freshman year, when she was surprised to even make the varsity, much less find herself in the starting lineup.
“We’re all pretty close on the team,” she said, “and no one takes criticism from the captains personally. Everybody keeps their cool, because they know we’re trying to help. Over the years, I’ve become more vocal on the field, but I also try to show leadership with my play and not just my voice.”
Besides Bowen and Paul, other notable seniors include Krystn Svennungsen, returning from ACL surgery, and Kristyn Bemis-Powell, who returns to the program after not playing last season.
It’s not that the Rams won’t have their challenges. They’ll miss Christenson, but Ostby is hoping that softball catcher Dianne Kasinger will step into the position which was wide open — last year’s backup was a senior.
“Dianne’s a good athlete, and she just needs some experience,” Ostby said. “I think she’ll be fine as far as fundamentals, and with experience her decision-making will improve. I’m happy to have her.”
Bowen and Paul share that confidence in their teammate, and hope the Rams’ experience will carry them even further than they’ve gone the last two seasons. Their journey begins next Tuesday, when they open league play. They play host to Lakeland of Rathdrum, Idaho, in a nonleague match this afternoon.