Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – St. Bernard’s goalkeeper Emma Mowrey

By Ray Hamill — It’s been a challenging start to the season for the young Little 4 girls soccer goalies, but all four current starters are thriving in the face of adversity.

Sophomores Tinnley Pidgeon of Ferndale and Emma Mowrey of St. Bernard’s and Del Norte freshman Avery Ritter have all been bombarded by opposing Big 4 teams in the build up to the Little 4, but all four have stood their ground and made some big saves for their teams.

South Fork freshman Hannah Savio has joined the group of young shot stoppers, taking over between the posts for the Cubs after injuries forced a reshuffling of the lineup and also making some big saves.

And the one thing all four of these players have in common is how impressive they each have been going up against the H-DNL powerhouse teams.

All four have earned the respect of their own and opposing coaches too.

“Their goalie did an outstanding job keeping us from scoring early on,” St. Bernard’s head coach Brian Finck said of Savio after a 5-0 win on Tuesday. “She made some outstanding saves throughout the game.”

Ritter also has impressed early and appears to be growing in confidence and playing beyond her years with a good understanding of the position.

“I’m really impressed with our young goalkeeper’s movement and positioning in the goal,” Del Norte head coach Cyndi Hansen said of Ritter. 

Ritter was outstanding in a recent game against Arcata while making around 13 saves.

The St. Bernard’s goalie too continues to grow in stature with each outing.

“Emma Mowrey, our young goalkeeper, has made some great strides and keeps getting better and better,” Finck said of the first-year starter. 

Ferndale’s Tinnley Pidgeon

Del Norte’s Avery Ritter

Rounding out the talented group, Pidgeon is also playing the position for the first time this fall and also has made big strides while working closely with Ferndale assistant coach Brenden McDonald. 

“She’s been working really hard,” Ferndale head coach Bailey Davy said of the athletic sophomore, who also is a standout basketball and softball player.

The good news for all four young goalkeepers is they likely won’t be quite as busy moving forward as they get set for a few weeks of playing more competitive games against Little 4 teams.

But no doubt the early challenge they had to face will stand to all of them moving forward.