THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016

It’s not so much how good Lake City High sophomore Bridget Rieken is on the soccer field right now.

It might be where she’s at as a senior.

And the four years after that.

“I think physically, she’s definitely at a higher level where she sits as a sophomore,” Lake City girls soccer coach Matt Ruchti said. “With a player like her, if she’s that good now, just imagine how she’ll be after two more years and as a player, four after that in their (college) program. She’s got a high ceiling. She’s a great competitor and works hard. She never takes a day off.”

RIEKEN, A 6-foot defender, has already fielded scholarship offers from at least six Division I schools, but has already made her decision clear.

Rieken — a three-sport standout for the Timberwolves — verbally committed last week to play soccer at Washington State University in Pullman.

“It met all the criteria I had for where I wanted to play in college,” said Rieken, a 6-foot defender. “I really like the atmosphere down there and it’s a really high level of soccer.”

Oregon State, Utah, Eastern Washington, Montana and Boise State also offered her scholarships play soccer in college.

“When I was taking tours at other schools, I just couldn’t stop thinking of Washington State while I was at those schools,” Rieken said.

Rieken participated in a summer camp last summer at WSU, only cementing that decision.

“I got to play with some of their recruits while I was down there,” Rieken said. “That really helped me find the love of the school. I just knew that I wanted to go there. I realize that I’m committing early, but I’m just really excited for what comes and know I need to do my part and keep getting stronger and do my part to make it happen.”

“As a student, Bridget doesn’t get any better,” Lake City coach Matt Ruchti said. “She puts her studies first. Currently, she is concentrating on performing well on the SATs. Her athletic money is set, but her academic money is still yet to be determined.”

Rieken will become the fourth player in the last five years to compete at the Division I level in soccer from the Lake City program, joining Camryn Wendlandt (San Diego State) and Meaghan Bare (Idaho State), as well as current Lake City senior Havana Johnson, who has verballed to McNeese State.

“I’ve had the privilege of coaching numerous Division 1 players,” said Ruchti, who also coaches in the Coeur d’Alene Sting Timbers program. “What I’m most proud of is the community work these players have put in and they’ve had had a 100 percent graduation rate (high school) and close to a 95 percent college (graduation) rate. We currently have interest for players in Division I, Division III and junior college for other players in the program.”

It was the advice of a few of those players that steered Rieken to Pullman.

“A group of them were home for the summer and we were training at Lake City,” Rieken said. “They just kept telling me to do what’s best for you and your family. After visiting, I knew that it was for me. Definitely God had a plan and put it all together for me.”

“There’s always moments, and I’ve had players like Bridget and it speaks volumes to both her and the program,” Ruchti said. “She’s came into a program that demands excellence and it’s part of what we try and do. Bridget’s a special player for sure. She’s got a high ceiling, and those college coaches see that. She’s got some work to do, but coaches look at her and see that she’s a project that they want to be a part of. And for her, a lot of it is effortless. What she produces, she doesn’t have to put forth that much effort because the game just comes to her, and all college coaches are attracted to that.”

THE TIMBER-WOLVES are 6-1-2 heading into a nonleague match against visiting Lakeland on Saturday.

“Bridget is a pretty versatile player,” Ruchti said. “With her skill set as it is now, it is the best fit for somewhere on the back line. Although her athleticism will open up more possibilities through her junior and senior year.”

Rieken was selected to the Olympic Development Program Region IV team, and will compete in a tournament over Thanksgiving in Boca Raton, Fla. Region IV is made up of the 14 most western states.

“Soccer is really an all-year thing for me,” Rieken said. “It never really stops for me.”

“She has excelled as a center back to date,” Ruchti said. “She has played as a center/midfielder at the regional level. It will be interesting to see where the Region IV staff will play her in Florida this November.”

And she doesn’t plan on leaving the basketball or track and field team, with whom she also qualified for state last year.

“I still really enjoy doing those other sports,” Rieken said. “But after high school, I’m really going to focus on soccer and school first.”

Once she arrives at WSU, Rieken intends to major in athletic training.

“I really like that kind of stuff,” Rieken said. “It’s going to be hard to do while I’m playing, but I’m really excited about the program and the opportunities it will give me.”

With the state high school soccer tournaments in Kootenai County next month, Rieken hasn’t let the new opportunity for her and the rest of the Timberwolves go unnoticed.

“It would be the coolest opportunity to win state for us,” Rieken said. “We’ve got a really good team and we can step up into that role and definitely get the job done when that time gets here.”

Just the first of many opportunities it appears for the Lake City sophomore.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.