Ripon Christian’s Brooke Barnes posted a brace less than five minutes into the game in a 3-2 Trans Valley League girls soccer win over visiting Ripon on Friday.
Barnes tapped in the first one off of a rebound in the second minute, and in the fourth minute, Alyssa Hoffman launched a long direct kick that Barnes timed perfectly for a goal.
“On the first one, I saw Kylie (Koolhaas) running down the side, and I knew she was going to shoot it,” Barnes said. “And I trusted she was going to boot it, so I just ran to get something on it.
“And on the second, I knew that Alyssa (Hoffman) has a powerful kick, so I just waited for her to kick it and I ran after it.”
In the 37th minute Raegan Burgess found Tatum Sonke who blasted a long goal off of the wing to give Ripon Christian (4-2 TVL, 9-6-1 overall) for a 3-0 lead.
“I got a really good assist from Raegen (Burgess),” Sonke said. “She set it up, and I couldn’t do any of what we did today without the rest of the team. We work really well together.
“My position normally gets the longer shots.”
Knights goalie Morgan Schenk posted an astonishing 18 saves.
“Coach said that we should expect them to get some goals on us, because they are a really talented program and team,” Schenk said. “He said to stay level-headed, and I tried to just not get in my head, and when they did score on me, my defense surrounded me and told me I had the next one.”
Ripon Christian has beaten the Indians (4-1-1, 13-5-1) just three times in the past 20 year, and the previous two wins were non-league matches in 2014 and 2023. The Knights are in their second season back in the TVL.
“This is our first time beating them in league,” Knights coach David Morris said. “We played them the very first game of the season and they thrashed us, so our goal tonight was to show improvement.
“We only have two year-round players and they are both freshmen, so for us as a team our program just gets better and better the longer the season goes and I think sometimes teams are surprised by how much we improve over the course of the season.”
Ripon got onto the scoreboard with just seconds remaining in the first half on Allie Grussing’s header dished to her by Mia Hendryx on a corner kick. In the 77th minute Olivia Ellis covered a loose ball and found the net to draw the Indians with 3-2.
Ripon Christian managed just four shots on goal and converted three of them.
“I have to say they came out and made the most of their opportunities,” Ripon coach Bryce Perkins said. “Our girls had a good ground game and kept the control for really the majority of the game but it just didn’t bounce our way.
“That’s why you play the game because you never know what’s going to happen.”
On Wednesday, the Knights travel to Orestimba at 5:15 p.m. The Indians host Escalon at 6 p.m.
Junior varsity
Ripon 4, Ripon Christian 2
Jayleen Luna scored two goals for the Indians with Paige Thomas and Jenna Brawley chipping in a goal apiece.
Krista Koolhaas notched a brace for the Knights.
