The River Falls Wildcat girls soccer team was making their second trip in two years to the WIAA State Soccer Tournament this past weekend in Milwaukee. It was Head Coach Charles Conley's fourth trip during his 14-season tenure.

The WIAA State Girls Soccer Tournament began in 1983. It was held in Menomonee Falls the first year. The state tournament location bounced around the first few years and then was a staple in Madison for 17 years before moving to Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee in 2004, where it has been ever since.

To say the southeast part of Wisconsin has had a stranglehold on girls high school soccer championships would be like saying a carrot is orange.

In 1983, there were 40 girls high school soccer teams in the state. There was a one-class tournament until it was moved to two classes in 1997, with 135 schools participating. In 2003, it moved to three classes with 219 schools fielding girls soccer. In 2014, with 253 schools competing in girls soccer, it moved to the current four-class tournament.

All totaled, there have been 99 state champions since 1983 in the different classes. Every single state champ in every single class has been from the eastern side of Wisconsin with the one exception of D.C. Everest in 2015.

"They're battle-tested and it's a different brand of soccer over here," said Head Coach Charles Conley, "I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong fitness-wise, but we were subbing quite frequently and it looked like they (Pewaukee) never got tired. We are very top heavy in our conference and you get to the bottom half and it doesn't do us any favors when we play those teams on a regular basis."

Many Wisconsin high school girls soccer enthusiasts will also state the east side of Wisconsin has their elite club soccer during the fall, whereas Minnesota’s similar level of play is held in the spring as the two states have opposing high school seasons.   

The Wildcats had never led at a state tournament game in their previous three visits (2011, 2018, and 2024). They climbed that hill in the first half at 32:17 when junior Olivia Doerre's rebound penalty kick hit the back of the net with a boom for the 1-0 Wildcat lead. It was Doerre's 20th goal of the season and her 11th in the playoffs. 

"We lost a big senior class last year," said Doerre, "so at the beginning of the season I didn't expect us to be back at the state tournament, but once the playoffs hit, there was this shift and we all started playing for each other. That played a huge role into us getting back."

Doerre said of her goal, "Once we scored first, it was pure excitement."

Even though Pewaukee outshot the Wildcats 5-2 in the first half, River Falls had the edge in corner kicks, 4-1.

"We adapted to the physicality of their play towards the middle of the second half," said Conley, "but it cost us in the first half because they ran through us and the ref wasn't making the calls we're normally used to. We didn't figure it out until it was too late and lost some opportunities in the first half. If we go up 2-0, it's a different game."

The Wildcats went into halftime ahead 1-0 with Friday afternoon temperatures pushing 90 degrees and maybe a little warmer on the black crumb rubber-filled turf. During the 10-minute halftime break, the Pewaukee Pirates were sitting in the sun, sipping on water, and looked like they had barely broken a sweat. River Falls' players had a number of players with red faces, ice packs on their necks, and sitting in the shade by the adjacent fence.

Conley also made a decision to switch goalies at halftime. Junior Addie Johnson had been in goal for the Wildcats during all four playoffs wins and the first half of the state semi-final game. Johnson and the Wildcats had not surrendered a goal during that four-and-a-half-game span.  

"Honestly, it was the height," said Conley of the decision to switch goalies. "Addie has been great for us and I trust both her and Neva (Espanet). It was the wind that scared me and the fact that AJ (Johnson) has not defended those balls very well. I thought Neva would give us that height advantage. Hindsight is what it is. I'll question that decision forever now."

Twenty-seven seconds into the second half, Pewaukee sophomore Hannah Sorkness snuck one through Espanet's fingertips on the right side to tie up the score at one-apiece.

Pewaukee was gaining more control with each passing minute, but at the 68:04-mark, River Falls received a huge break as the Pirates' Alex Burkemper was called for a red card. The Wildcats would have a one-player advantage for the remaining 12 minutes of the game.

"I really did think we were going to get to overtime at that point," said Conley.

A little over three minutes later, River Falls was called for a penalty about 30 yards from their goal. With an estimated 20-mph wind at her back, Pewaukee senior Ella Opie sent a blasted bender off her right foot like a missile to the upper corner on the free kick. It was just out of reach for a diving Espanet and the Pirates were back on top, 2-1.

"The wind definitely helped them on that shot," said Doerre. "But I didn't really feel it too much when I was playing."

Pewaukee junior Elli Bennett found the back of the net four minutes later at the 75:58 mark and it was all but over. Pewaukee outshot River Falls 12-4 in the second half and held the 4-1 advantage in second half corner kicks.

"I thought our girls played phenomenally," said Conley. "And hopefully it set a new standard to make it back-to-back years and set that expectation. Now they've seen the physicality and seen the fitness level it takes. Skill-wise, we had it with Pewaukee, but they were acclimated to that type of game for 80 minutes."

"It's devastating knowing we were up one and had such a good chance and lost it," said senior Dylan Paulson who will play soccer at St. Norbert College next season. "But I'm so proud of our team. We gave it everything we had."

"It was a rollercoaster because we thought we had it," said junior Addison Lemke. "I don't know what happened in the second half, but we have to pick each other up. The worst part about it is this team is a family and it's breaking the family up. This one hurt."

"I don't know yet, but I might graduate early next year," said junior Olivia Doerre about playing volleyball at UW-Milwaukee in 2026, "so I was playing like it was my last game every game."

There were plenty of post-game tears for River Falls as a season and careers ended. As the teams were shaking hands after the final horn, senior defender Kaelin Jalowitz looked deep in thought. Jalowitz had a stern stoic look towering above most of her teammates.

"After the game, I think I finally realized it was the last moment with my team and wrapped up high school in general," said Jalowitz. "I think it was just upsetting letting the other team come back from behind."

Conley has 244 career coaching wins in 19 years as a head high school coach, but 199 of them have come during his 14-year tenure with River Falls. Conley will have to wait until next season for Wildcat win number 200.

Once again, all four state champions were from the east side of Wisconsin.

Pewaukee lost to Brookfield Central, 2-1, in the Division 2 finals on Saturday. It was the seventh state championship for the Lancers. Muskego defeated Madison West in a shootout for the Division 1 title. Catholic Memorial knocked off Edgewood by a final of 4-2 for the Division 3 crown and Xavier blanked Ozaukee/Random Lake 2-0 for the Division 4 trophy.