Auburn Riverside boys soccer heads in new direction following controversy
Published 1:27 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
Auburn Riverside’s boys soccer team has made the headlines for unsavory reasons due to their former head coach resigning over an alleged video of a violation of team conduct.
But this Raven team has attempted to put that behind them. Current head coach Payton Berens couldn’t say enough positive things about the connectedness of his team through an interesting time.
“There’s been a lot of noise, but this group is so cohesive. They are the most together unit I have seen,” Berens said. “They are blocking everything out, they have each other’s back. They are such a likeable group of guys, it is infectious.”
The Ravens took on Tahoma, which is second in the 4A NPSL, on April 17 and fell 2-0 against the Bears. It’s now five games in a row without a win and just one win in their last nine games for the Ravens.
“We’ve seen games where we’ve come out flat and lacked energy. We are starting to understand that piece of how to get into a game ready, play with each other and play solid as a group,” Berens said. “Our guys are starting to figure it out. … I think we are looking forward to a really promising second half of the season.”
Berens was informed he was going to take over as head coach on the third day of practice. It was an adjustment, but an opportunity he has been waiting for.
“It’s something I have always wanted. Being a teacher here, I couldn’t be happier that I am a head coach at Auburn Riverside for boys soccer. I am excited for the opportunity,” Berens said. “It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind, but we are going in the right direction.”
The Ravens’ defense was going to be tested against Tahoma with Cooper Tschimperle in white constantly causing problems for backlines across the NPSL. Tschimperle found space behind the Raven defense for the first goal of the game, but that was really the only space he found all game.
“We had a big game plan to know where Tschimprele was the entire time. I think that was the only ten seconds he was open the entire first half. I think the backline played really well tonight, I think it was just a lapse in judgement,” Berens said.
It’s a young core of players, and for the most part they held strong. A mixup in the back led to the first goal and the second goal came in the final 10 minutes.
“We are really at a point where we are starting to figure out the simple things and recognizing where the safe option is and not trying to put a ball back into a dangerous spot,” Berens said.
In terms of attacking prowess, the Ravens have scored just 12 goals over the past nine games, led by a sophomore and a senior who is coming off an injury. Connor Watson as just a sophomore is a captain of the Ravens, and can be a key cog in the wheel of Auburn Riverside soccer.
“He’s a talented player, he’ll take anyone on. He’s got incredible touch,” Berens said. “He’s electric, he’s a great player. He has possibly one of the best left foots in the league.”
Gil Barajas is the missing piece for the Ravens. He scored and recorded two assists in the first two games this season, but went down with an injury in the second game of the season, a 4-1 win against Bonney Lake. Barajas played against Tahoma on a minutes restriction, but is nearing a return to the starting 11. “He’s nearly back to full health, so we have been missing Gil for a lot of this season. He’s such a pivotal part to this lineup, he provides so much depth to this lineup,” Berens said.
Berens has a lot of talent that is waiting to make a name, including Eric Romero and Ashton Riggs, who is a former Sounders Academy player can flip any game on its head. “We throw Ashton Riggs kind of everywhere. He’s playing up top and center midfielder. When you have a guy like that who is a former Sounders Academy player, you expect him to carry the group,” Berens said.
Auburn Riverside is back in action on April 21 against Kentridge at home.
