PORT TOWNSEND — East Jefferson girls soccer senior co-captain Iris Mattern was named the Nisqually League Most Valuable Player, while fellow co-captain Ava Shiflett made the league’s first team.
Mattern was named the Rivals’ team MVP all four years she played for East Jefferson and was named the Nisqually Defensive Player of the Year last year. She is also a center back for her Pacific Northwest team in the Elite Club National League team. She finished the season with 12 goals and five assists, including a hat trick against Vashon and a pair of goals in four other games.
“She is by far the most gifted player in a generation and has the ability to turn a game in her team’s favor by being a stalwart in defense, commanding the midfield with driving runs and defense-splitting passes, or latching onto through balls up front and finishing opportunities,” said her coach, Robert Cantley.
Mattern plans to attend Eastern Washington University and play soccer for the Eagles while focusing on a major in physical therapy.
Shiflett made the first team three straight years. She scored six goals and had seven assists as she and Mattern accounted for 21 out of the Rivals 22 goals either as the scorer or assist-maker.
“Ava is the spark that ignites the fuel for her team. [She is] often the most exciting and eye-catching player on the field due to her tricks and turns and willingness to take on defenders,” Cantley said. “A true warrior on the field whose shins and ankles are proof of her opponents’ fear of her, she is still weighing her options on where to take her talents after graduation, upon which she will have already earned her AA through Running Start.”
Making the second team was Mi Amada Lanphear-Ramirez. She was an honorable mention last year. Teri Wiley, a freshman, made honorable mention after being a few years away from youth soccer. Cantley called Lanphear-Ramirez a physically tough player who is “fearless and unbothered by players who outmatch her for size.” He also said Wiley “displayed great poise and confidence as a freshman against some quality players and performed admirably.”
