Knights girls soccer blanks Wahluke 4-0 to remain undefeated

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights girls soccer team (3-0) are off to a strong start to the 2026 season after defeating the Wahluke Warriors (1-2) 4-0 at home Tuesday. The Knights Head Coach Jens Jensen feels pretty good with how his team is playing in the early phases of the regular season.  

“We’re starting to settle into something that’s going to work,” he said. “The whole idea is to try to create pressure and hopefully we can beat a team before they set up. What’s going to happen to us is that teams are going to start bunkering in, and we’re trying really hard to see if we can beat them before they set up.” 

The Knights went on the attack right away against the Warriors, finding their first goal at the hands of Justine Fitzhugh within the first 10 minutes of the game. From there, they built their lead with two more goals by Marilyn Deras and Briseydi Pacheco before halftime creating a commanding 3-0 lead by the break.  

Royal’s defense continued to hold Wahluke scoreless in the second half as they added a fourth goal thanks to Pacheco on their way to their third straight win to open the season.  

“We were inconsistent,” Warriors Head Coach Cele Lopez said. “We didn’t match the energy from the last two games. They were hungrier than us. We couldn’t match that speed or those 50/50 challenges. We got outworked today.”  

Throughout the first half, the Knights played physically and at times seemed to suffocate the Warriors defense before they could adjust. This aggressive playstyle is exactly what Jensen and the Knights strive for every time they take the pitch.  

“I want to run at people nonstop,” Jensen said. “You can hear me all the time, ‘Go, go, go at her.’ That’s how I want to play; I think that's fun. I do not want to play in a way that you keep possession (of the ball) for the sole purpose of keeping possession. That’s boring, so let’s attack, go at some people, let’s create one-on-ones and attack it.”  

This approach to the pitch has led to a stronger team chemistry as well, as players like Maggie Frank and Deras are starting to form an efficient dynamic in the attack. Frank often finding Deras for creative passes that can lead to shot opportunities. 

“They weren’t connecting when we first started in the jamboree,” Jensen said. “They weren’t finding each other and it was ugly. We changed shape a little bit and that changed everything. Maggie and Marilyn find each other regularly.”  

Jensen painted a nightmare scenario for defenders who find themselves in this situation.  

“They have to decide, am I going to go to you because you just beat my midfield with either one pass or by beating one person, so you beat the whole midfield,” he said. “Now am I going to stay in my defensive shape and deal with Briseydi and Lauren (Wardenaar), or am I going to go with you? Both of those options are bad because if you stay, they’re just going to keep coming, and they’ll just hit a shot. But if you go, then they’ll pick you apart, especially if you go and they end up beating you.”  

The Knights attack creates a high-pressure situation where defenders are forced to decide which is the least consequential outcome in a matter of seconds. By the end of the night, Pacheco finished with two scores, while Deras and Fitzhugh also recorded a single goal. 

Also starting to see more playing time is Grace Soliz, the Knights starting goalkeeper. Coming into the season, she was dealing with a leg injury, which delayed the start of her season, Jensen said in a previous interview with the Columbia Basin Herald. Now cleared by doctors, she is starting to work her way back into the fold.  

“She’s not 100%, the doctor cleared her, which is good, but she still is kind of getting things going,” the coach said. “She does not like being able to go, and I love that about her. I love that she wants to play and is chomping at the bit to get that starting role back. We want to get her back as soon as we can, but we also want to be careful with her.”  

For the Warriors, they have a tough challenge ahead of them as they look to address their mental game – which Lopez says is the hardest aspect of soccer.  

“We were not connected mentally or physically,” Lopez said. “It’s just an attitude problem that we might face, with the body language that we give when we enter the field, and that’s contagious.” 

Despite the mental hurdles that lie ahead, Lopez is confident his team has the talent to bounce back from this loss and get the ball rolling the rest of the season. He noted some of his players are navigating some knee injuries coming into the season.  

“It’s been an issue since our first practice,” he said. “They’re carrying that from probably club (soccer) and we’re facing the consequences. We have to work around that with (junior varsity) to see what’s coming up and try to figure it out, because the season goes in the blink of an eye. It’s already the fourth game for us, it’s going quick.”  

The Warriors return to the pitch on Sept. 10 when they host College Place at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, the Knights travel to play the Wapato Wolves on Thursday at 6 p.m. Their next home game is scheduled for Sept. 15 when they host Connell at 6 p.m. 

BOX SCORE: 

WHLK: 0-0: 0 

ROYL: 3-1: 4 

    Justine Fitzhugh (4) races for the ball during the Knights game against the Wahluke Warriors Tuesday.
  

    Keyla Garduno (21) boots the ball back into play for the Wahluke Warriors.
  

    Alexandra Rodriguez (14) races Bella Villafana (left) and Briseydi Pacheco (right) to the ball during the Wahluke Warriors game against the Royal Knights on Tuesday.