ROYAL CITY — After a strong 2025 that fell just short of a state tournament bid, the Royal Knights (13-3) come into this season eager to take that next step.  

“I think we need to score,” Head Coach Jens Jensen said. “We need to score from more set pieces than we did last year. That's going to be huge. So free kicks, corners – we got to find more goals.” 

The Knights made a run in the district tournament, but losses to Naches Valley and the Wahluke Warriors ended their season. As they enter the 2026 season, the Knights bring back a lot of talent from last year’s team. Lauren Wardenaar, Maggie Frank, Hallie Christensen, Briseydi Pacheco and goalkeeper Grace Soliz return to the fold as they look to build on last season’s strengths.  

Last season, Pacheco and Wardenaar tied for leading scorers with 13 goals each, Jensen said. Frank led the team in assists while Christensen rounds out a core part of the defensive lineup on the pitch.  

Soliz is coming off a knee injury and won’t be available to start the season but is expected to be ready not too far into the season. They’ll have a freshman filling in for her in the meantime who brings club soccer experience to the program, the coach said.  

“We got to make sure that she's not taking shots,” Jensen said. “As a defense, one of our goals is we want to get into the double digits for shutouts. At least 10 games where we shut the other team out, and a big part of that is don't give them shots, so that we can take that pressure off that freshman goalkeeper. Even though I think she's fully capable of making stops.” 

While the attack remains a point of emphasis, the Knights were strong in that category last season and Jensen feels confident much will be the same in 2026.  

“When they have free kicks they can put on target, they got to get them on frame, and also on corners. We got to have girls that are brave enough to stick their forehead in there and head a ball on them,” Jensen said. 

Though the game plan is clear, a tough South Central Athletic Conference will likely do their best to disrupt that throughout the season. However, Jensen and the Knights aren’t overlooking the competition.  

“Naches and Cashmere are going to be tough,” he said. “We know that already, then you're just kind of looking at the teams that are left, and you're wondering who's going to come up with a team. Who's going to bring something that's a little unexpected? I think the big one for us is just getting our starting goalkeeper back, and when that's going to be possible-that's a big deal for sure.” 

As they look ahead to this season, the Knights main goals are clear.  

“We're hoping to do really well in league and find ourselves a spot in the state tournament,” Jensen said. “And hopefully be able to get a draw in the state tournament or a seeding that will help us avoid the top two or three teams and give ourselves a chance of winning that first game. That's really our goal – get into state, then number two, try to win that first game.” 

Jensen has been with the Knights program for about 22 years, he said. With each new season, he always looks forward to coaching his players and building a strong team.  

“They work hard,” he said. “They work hard for each other. They're very coachable, and they're super easy to be around. It's a great group, and coaching girls like that is a lot of fun. My youngest daughter is a freshman this year, and so having her around and being able to finish out with her as she goes through the next four years is going to be a ton of fun.” 

    The Knights’ Hallie Christensen (21) beats a Naches Valley player to the ball to make a pass to a teammate during their district tournament game last season.
  

    Aurora Santillan (22) races past a Wapato defender during their game last season.
  

    Maggie Frank (14) boots the ball back into play against Omak last season.
  

    Cindy Madrigal (left) and Lauren Wardenaar (right) race to the ball during a district tournament game between Royal and Wahluke last season.