Freeman girls soccer makes seamless transition to new classification; take undefeated record into districts

The Freeman girls soccer team has made it to state every year since 2018.

But that was in 1A, before the reclassification that took part over the summer dropped the school’s teams into the smaller 2B classification.

The Scotties have only picked up steam this season – and a key reinforcement is on the way.

Freeman (15-0) opens the District 6 2B/1B tournament Wednesday hosting a semifinal matchup against fourth-seeded Reardan on its home turf – the only synthetic playing surface in the Northeast 2B ranks.

The winner will play in the championship game, also at Freeman’s home field, on Saturday. Both teams that reach the district title game qualify for state.

“It is an advantage,” Freeman coach Dave Ellis said. “The turf plays a little quicker, a little bit faster. It’s much more of a true surface. …but it catches us on the other side when we go to some of the rougher fields. They’re either super slow or bumpy, so that’s an adjustment for us.”

There haven’t been many bumps for the Scotties this season – Freeman has outscored its opponents 109-11 this season.

The Scotties are ranked No. 1 in the state’s RPI system and by MaxPreps. They are led by junior forward Rylee Russell, who has scored a state-leading 44 goals this season, ranking her No. 23 in the nation.

Freshman Nora Gass has 18 goals, good for 11th in the state, and her big sister Avery Gass, a junior, is fourth in assists with 12.

“Without my teammates I wouldn’t be the player I am, the person I am,” Russell said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be playing the sport how I am.”

“She’s got explosive speed,” Ellis said of Russell. “One of the fastest kids we’ve had come through the program. She’s a rare blend of explosiveness and physicality. … She’s added another element to her game this year, going ‘precision over power’ at times. She’s been just even more deadly from within the 18 (yard box). And I think she’s an even smarter player. She’s really matured and grown as a player.”

Ellis said “a light bulb came on” for Russell early in the season, despite routinely facing double- and triple-teams from defenders.

“She’s been unstoppable,” he said. “We knew it was always in there. But this is the year she became a complete player. To watch her evolve her game has been great. It’s been exciting to see that step, and I still think there’s another step in there. I don’t think she’s done growing.”

Immediately after state, Russell will head to Barcelona to participate on a Development Player League (DPL) national team.

“When I think about a sport, it’s 90% mental and 10% physical,” Russell said. “I will show up on the pitch every day and work as hard as I can. In the end, it’s my mentality that has taken me as far as I am so far.”

Aubrey Gregory, who has been one of Freeman’s top scorers the previous three seasons, is just returning from a leg injury she sustained in the first game of the year. The senior captain is still building endurance, but her timely return is huge for the Scotties .

“It’s very nice to be back,” Gregory said. “It’s one thing sitting on the sidelines but being on the field is a whole different thing.”

“She’ll be a big boost for us,” Ellis said. “I would say off the field too, but she’s done all the captain things even being injured. She never pulled back; she’s been here at every single practice. She’s done a really good job of being present, even while dealing with the injury.”

Gregory has had ample opportunity to evaluate the Scotties’ play this season.

“This year, we’ve focused it more on being a family,” she said. “We’re definitely a lot more connected on and off the field, more so I’d say that in previous years. We have put a lot more effort into our practices and our mindset before, during and after games.”

The Scotties remain undefeated into the postseason despite, or perhaps because of, playing a challenging nonleague schedule that included wins over Greater Spokane League opponents North Central (a 2-0 win on Sept. 9) and a 6-2 win over Cheney – which qualified for the District 6 3A tournament.

“Those were definitely like our Super Bowls,” Gregory said. “Those were really big games we wanted to have under our wing. … It made us stronger. The harder games prepared us for the future.”

Russell scored six goals in those two games – five coming against Cheney. She takes pride in her production, but that isn’t what drives her on the pitch.

“I don’t really think about that. I just go and play the game that I love,” she said.

“It’s not whether you’re bad or great at a sport. It’s, what’s the best attitude you bring, the best energy you bring, and the best effort you can bring,” she said. “Growing up my parents taught me those three things will take you so far in life and I’ve carried that through every sport I’ve played, be it soccer, basketball or track.”

The Scotties’ unblemished record would suggest the adjustment to playing in 2B has been a smooth transition. But it hasn’t been without its challenges.

“I knew a lot of people wanted us to move down because they thought it would be easier,” Gregory said. “But it just depends on how each team plays and how they work together.”

“There was just this unknown,” Ellis said. “It’s going to fields you’ve never been to against teams you’ve never played before. You just don’t know what the level of competition is. (2B) is uneven. There’s some teams that struggle and some teams that are really good.”

In the end, the Scotties took care of business regardless of the names on the front of the opposition jerseys.

“It was wanting to keep the same mindset of when we faced teams like Deer Park or Lakeside,” Gregory said. “We obviously wanted to keep that same intensity, because it was the first time playing a lot of these teams and we didn’t know how they played or how they’d play us.”