The River Falls High School girls’ soccer team is 2-2-1 through the first five games of the season, despite having two of the top players on the roster missing time for disciplinary reasons.

The expectations for the lady Wildcats’ soccer team are justifiably high. River Falls is coming off of a 12-4 record for the 2021 campaign and a Division 2 Sectional Final appearance against Sauk Prairie in Marshfield last June, a game that River Falls lost 3-0.

Because of that success last season, River Falls is hoping to compete for a Big Rivers Conference championship and is looking to make more noise in the Division 2 playoff bracket. However, the team has gotten off to a modest 2-2-1 start this year, with losses against Divine Savior Holy Angels and Bay Port at the UW-La Crosse Invite, a tie against Eau Claire Memorial and wins against Onalaska and Holmen.

Traditionally, a .500 record for River Falls would be disappointing, but the Wildcats have managed to avoid a losing record despite two of their best players missing a small amount of time due to disciplinary action.

Those two integral players, seniors Lexy and Lindsey Szymanski, missed the Eau Claire Memorial and Onalaska games. In that Thursday night, April 7 snow-riddled home game against the Old Abes, the absence of Lexy and Lindsey Szymanski couldn’t have been more noticeable. Wildcats head coach Charles Conley spoke about the offense without them.

“My two leading scorers are serving a disciplinary suspension,” Conley said at the Thursday night game against Eau Claire Memorial. “Give our girls credit, they played without two of our three best players.”

The Wildcats’ roster for the Memorial game sans Szymanski girls gave other players opportunities to step up and get looks, despite playing in blizzard-like conditions in that Thursday night game in River Falls. Conley spoke about other girls getting a chance to play a more centralized role in the team’s success.

“It’s a chance for (other girls) to get their feet wet and build confidence,” Conley said. “Typically, when it’s 45 or 50 degrees, it’s easy to play games. When you get to tournament time and it’s 80 or 85 degrees, we’re going to need depth. It’s good for these girls to have that chance to gain some confidence and get game action.”

One lady Wildcat who stepped up in the absence of two of the Big Rivers’ best forwards was sophomore Kraly Walker, who scored River Falls’ lone goal in the game against Eau Claire Memorial.

Walker’s score came in the 12th minute of the game when she broke free down the sideline, received a pass from junior midfielder Paige O’Hara and booted one past Memorial’s goalkeeper to take a 1-0 lead.

In the 34th minute, Memorial tied it up 1-1 when midfielder Annika Skolos poked one by senior goalkeeper Riley Nesbitt. The game was a stalemate the rest of the way and ended in a 1-1 draw, the first such result for either team in the 2022 season. Conley reflected on the entirety of the game.

“I thought we played well,” Conley said. “This spring, we haven’t had much time to practice outside, but we have practiced in snowy conditions. We have a young group and haven’t had much time to familiarize ourselves with each other. We’re hoping for a better result the second time around.”

After the tie against Memorial, River Falls bounced back on Saturday, April 9, with a 2-0 victory at home against Onalaska in which sophomore forward Lillia Gray and freshman midfielder Dylan Paulson scored. Senior goalkeeper Nesbitt had the shutout for the Wildcats.

The second game of that Saturday afternoon double-header was a 3-0 win at home against Holmen. That game against the Vikings was the first game in which the Szymanski girls played, marking the return from their disciplinary suspension.

Senior Lindsey Szymanski wasted no time getting back into the action, as she scored all three goals against the Vikings in the 3-0 victory. Junior goalkeeper Jordyn Bengtson had the shutout in the net for the Wildcats.

River Falls is now on a two-game heater and with the Szymanski girls coming back to action, nothing is stopping the Wildcats from continuing to improve and making a run at a Big Rivers Conference championship.

The next game on the schedule for River Falls is Thursday, April 21, when the Wildcats host Eau Claire North in a 7 p.m. conference matchup.

River Falls sophomore forward Kraly Walker (#18) celebrates with her teammates after scoring a goal in the 12th minute of the home game against Eau Claire Memorial on Thursday, April 7. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

River Falls senior goalkeeper Riley Nesbitt makes a sliding save during the Wildcats’ home game against Onalaska on Saturday, April 9. In that game, Nesbitt pitched a shutout, allowing no goals during her 80 minutes in the net. Photo by Reagan Hoverman