The Cashmere Bulldogs girls soccer team opened postseason play in impressive fashion Thursday night, cruising to a 6-1 victory over the visiting College Place Hawks in the opening round of the District 5 1A Tournament at Cashmere Soccer Field.

Top-seeded Cashmere wasted no time setting the tone. Junior Gwen Ledesma put the Bulldogs on the board in just the 3rd minute with an unassisted strike. College Place, the tournament’s No. 8 seed, responded quickly, leveling the match at 1-1 in the 10th minute on a swift counterattack.

The Bulldogs regained control in the 32nd minute when sophomore Tatum Ficker converted off a corner kick to send Cashmere into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

Following halftime adjustments on both ends of the pitch, the Bulldogs’ attack began to flow. Ficker netted her second goal of the night in the 42nd minute to make it 3-1, and from there Cashmere never looked back.

Senior Alyssa Soria extended the lead to 4-1 in the 62nd minute, finding space at the top of the 18-yard box and burying a shot into the corner. Junior Brynne Patrick added another in the 69th minute, and freshman Elle Jacobson capped the scoring in the 73rd to secure the 6-1 win.

With the victory, Cashmere (16-2, ranked No. 6 in the WIAA 1A RPI) advances to Saturday’s district semifinal, where they will face the Cascade Kodiaks (12-3, No. 9 RPI). The match is set for 1:30 p.m. at Cashmere Soccer Field.

The long-standing rivals have not met in two years since Cashmere’s move to the South Central Athletic Conference. Saturday’s winner will advance to the District Championship on November 8 and secure a berth to the 1A State Tournament.