Optimism was in the air even before the La Conner High girls’ soccer team opened its season at Whittaker Field on Tuesday.
Within an hour it was clear that the optimism was well placed.
The host Braves blanked non-league foe Auburn Adventist 8-0 in a match cut short by a goal differential mercy rule with 17 minutes left to play in the second half.
Faith Jenkins scored twice and Aisley Zimmerman, Finley Hancock, Kiana Jenkins, Annika Keith, Maicy Bowles, and Yamileth Ocampo-Contreras each added a goal for the victors, who controlled field position and the match’s tempo from the opening whistle.
La Conner goalkeeper Kellie Cayou-Lockrem preserved the shutout with a save on an Auburn Adventist close shot on goal at the 25-minute mark of first period.
First-year head coach Leslie Swanson, who is assisted by Olimpia Zuniga, said the lopsided result was indicative of the team’s work ethic.
“I think our pre-season training and the time we’ve spent in the weight room has helped us get in really good shape, to be really fit,” Swanson said.
That was most evident in the second half, which began with the Braves holding a slim 2-0 advantage. La Conner, seeming to get stronger as the match unfolded, scored six times in just 23 minutes after the break, prompting the contest’s early stoppage.
Because Auburn Adventist arrived at La Conner short-handed, the game was played as a nine-on-nine match rather than the regular 11-on-11 format.
“Auburn only had 10 players,” Swanson explained, “so we agreed to play nine-on-nine. That way they’d have a sub.”
Conditions were warm and muggy, but La Conner players were able to sustain a fast pace despite having to cover more ground with two fewer players than normal on the pitch.
The Braves are coming off a 2024 campaign that saw them secure a post-season berth, losing in the opening round to state 2B power Cle Elum-Roslyn. La Conner brings back much of the nucleus of that team this fall, including a corps of players who enjoyed success playing for Swanson at the youth level.
Against Auburn Adventist, La Conner showcased its athleticism, rotating into action players who double as track-and-field, basketball, and/or softball participants in addition to soccer.
The 14-member Braves team has only two seniors in Ocampo-Contreras and Shaniquah Casey. The La Conner lineup’s three juniors are Eva Porter, Angie Pena, and Cayou-Lockrem. Shawntay Perry, Malorie Drake, Kiana Jenkins, Hancock, Bowles, Keith, and Zimmerman are the team’s sophomores. La Conner has two freshmen, Faith Jenkins and Claire Avery, on its 2025 roster.
The Braves return home at 2 p.m. Sept. 13 for a non-conference match with 1A Blaine. La Conner visits NW2B/1B rival Lopez Island on Sept. 18.
Swanson and Zuniga are hopeful the good vibes will carry on through the fall.
“This group works hard as a team,” Swanson stressed. “They support each other and share a lot of positivity.”
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.
