Submitted photos – The Eel River players and coaches placed first at their last three tournaments.

By Ray Hamill — The future of girls soccer in the Eel River Valley is looking good.

A group of young players representing the Eel River Rapids have been making plenty of noise at various tournaments this year and are getting respect from beyond the Redwood Curtain.

And that recently saw them them crack the top-100 rankings in the state.

In just their second year competing, the Eel River Rapids 11Us have shown tremendous improvement this season and are building plenty of momentum while also having a lot of fun together.

“This year, they’ve just been incredible,” head coach Karlee Anderson said. “They just work really, really well together. They’re committed, they’re dedicated and they’re just a talented group of athletes.”

The players’ success on the soccer fields backs that assessment.

Since last October, the Eel River girls have won all three tournaments they have traveled to and they are now ranked No. 98 in the state in their age group.

Last month, they traveled to compete at the Silver Cup tournament near Sacramento and took home the championship with another big performance.

They also won the Rogue Memorial Challenge tournament in May and the Smash Cup tournament last October.

And even more important, this is a group of players who are clearly enjoying their time playing together.

“They definitely have a lot of fun,” Anderson said. “They’re kind of goofy, but they’re gamers. When it comes down to game time, they put on their game hats.”

Anderson’s squad, which practices three or four times a week, is made up mostly of girls from the Fortuna and Ferndale area, as well as a couple of girls from Eureka.

The squad, which first began playing last year, includes 17 players in total and usually travels to tournaments with 12 or 13.

And remarkably they have lost once in their last 20 games, going 15-1-4 in that spell.

As you would expect from a team that has enjoyed that much success, there are several standouts, including goalkeeper Kyah Hardwick, who has established herself as a solid last line of defense.

In front of her, a defensive unit of Clara White, Haven Esget and Lainey Butler has been equally impressive and they are building a lot of cohesion while playing a lot of minutes together.

In midfield, captains and playmakers Emerson Byrd and Grace Mauney help to set the attack in motion, while up front, Lucy Hayes, Preslee Rodriguez and Berkli Andersen have been keeping opposing defenses on their toes with their play.

Arianna Amis (goalie, striker), Chloe Lindgren (goalie, forward), Teigan Anderson (forward), Zoe Glines (forward), Caraline Johnson (forward), Amelia Dore (forward), Alessandra Olea (forward) and Roya Kadivar (forward) round out a talented and deep roster, along with assistant coaches Todd Andersen and Ashlee Byrd and trainer Nick Parker.

And the young Eel River players are far from done this season, with a busy few weeks in store.

The Rapids will compete in four more tournaments between now and the end of October, including a trip to Santa Rosa next month.