When the River Falls High School girls’ soccer team had a two-week stretch during the regular season that included five ties and a trio of losses, doubt began creeping into the minds of players and coaches alike.

Doubt regarding offensive capability, especially coming off the heels of a 2022 roster that graduated 12 seniors headlined by Lindsey and Lexi Szymanski, a pair of twins who were two of the most dominant soccer players in River Falls history.

Without the guidance and offensive brilliance of that senior class, the 2023 Wildcats were in the middle of May and the ship appeared to be sinking. River Falls responded to the adversity, playing tough Hudson and Eau Claire North squads to a pair of ties before rattling off three consecutive victories to claim a ninth straight Division 2 regional championship.

For River Falls head coach Charles Conley, who has overseen all nine of those titles, this year’s 3-0 victory on the road against La Crosse Central in the regional championship game was among the most special he’s ever experienced.

“This is probably the sweetest,” Conley said. “With the way we started and having that stretch of ties and losses, it was like, ‘Are we going to even qualify for that game?’ I think we turned the corner in that game against Hudson. It feels sweet with this group because we had to work for it and I had to really coach hard. It’s just special based on those circumstances.”

After winning the regional title on the road against La Crosse Central, third-seeded River Falls returned home on Thursday, June 8, to host fourth-seeded New Richmond in the D2 sectional semifinal.

Both River Falls and New Richmond had their offensive opportunities throughout regulation, but neither team found the back of the net. The Big Rivers Conference foes remained scoreless through two overtime periods which sent the game to a best-of-five penalty kick shootout.

After the Wildcats and Tigers scored on each of their first three penalty kick opportunities, it was New Richmond junior Ava Rumpza’s turn to shoot. She blasted a kick toward the top-right corner, which went careening off the post and was the first miss of the shootout.

New Richmond’s lone miss proved to be the difference, as River Falls sophomore Dylan Paulson and junior Lillia Gray scored on each of the Wildcats’ final two penalty kicks to secure the 0-0 (5-4) victory.

“We’ve spent three or four weeks on penalty kicks just in case,” Conley said. “We have to give New Richmond a ton of credit. They had a great game plan and played extremely well. Fortunately, it hasn’t had to come to (PKs) often, but we’ve worked on it.”

River Falls didn’t have much time to celebrate its victory. The Wildcats kicked off the Division 2 sectional championship game against the top-seeded Sauk Prairie Eagles less than 48 hours later at Marshfield High School, a predetermined neutral site location.

Sauk Prairie got on the board first with a goal in the 28th minute to take a 1-0 lead in the opening half. Just over four minutes later, River Falls junior forward Kraly Walker got loose on a breakaway and was slide tackled by the opposing goalie.

Walker was awarded a penalty kick and promptly tied the game, 1-1, after booting a goal past Sauk Prairie’s keeper. Walker’s score proved to be the last regular score of the contest, as neither program scored the rest of regulation or in either of the first two overtime periods.

River Falls and Sauk Prairie went to a penalty kick shootout with the winner booking a trip to the state tournament. The Eagles scored on four of its opponents while the Wildcats cashed in on just three. The win sent Sauk Prairie back to the state tournament for the third time in as many years.

“We couldn’t be more proud of our girls,” Conley said after the loss to the top-seeded Eagles. “Nobody expected us to be in that game and nobody expected it to be close. It’s tough to lose like that, but the girls have nothing to hang their heads about, that’s for sure.”

The 2023 campaign featured mentally and emotionally taxing adversity that the Wildcats hadn’t faced for the better part of a decade. For Conley, the grit and determination that his girls displayed in the face of season-defining challenges reignited the passion in his soul for coaching.

“This group of girls bonded well and after 13 years, I think about how much (coaching) time I have left in me,” Conley said. “This group really rejuvenated the passion that I have. To see these girls come in and do what they did, I’m proud of this team. This group had something special.”

This roster’s special chemistry is something that Conley believes isn’t a one-off. Given the strong freshman class and several talented sophomores and juniors coming back next spring, the Wildcats have a bright future.

“This year was a total group effort to get to where we wanted to be,” Conley said. “Going through what we did this year and having everybody pull their weight brought the group closer together. I think that will carry us at least one more year, if not further beyond.”