St. Vincent captured the Class 1 girls soccer state championship last season with a 2-1 victory over Summit Christian, ending Saxony Lutheran’s two-year reign at the top.
The Indians swept the Jefferson County Activities Association, winning all six games and the conference title. So the five JCAA county schools with girls soccer teams – De Soto, Festus, Hillsboro, St. Pius X and Windsor – all have plenty of work to do to catch up.
The Dragons, Tigers, Hawks and Owls all competed in Class 3 District 2, with Hillsboro beating Festus 3-1 to win the title. The Hawks lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Cape Girardeau Central in the sectional round.
St. Pius was in Class 2 District 1 with powerhouse Cape Girardeau Notre Dame and hung tough with the Bulldogs in a 2-0 loss in the championship. Notre Dame rode that to a 3-2 overtime win against Springfield Catholic and the Class 2 crown.
The Lancers were 11-9 last season, but they lost four all-league players – Abby Ottoline (first team), Sammy Linderer (first team), Kelly Dierkes (second team) and Rebecca Hovatter (second team) – to graduation. Linderer started last season as the goalkeeper, but was eventually replaced by Hovatter. Both keepers had miniscule goals against averages.
Schlote returns from knee injury
Senior striker Jillian Schlote’s return to the lineup after missing most of last season with torn knee ligaments gives Hillsboro a leg up on the new season before it begins Friday at Festus.
Schlote tore up a knee against Ritenour last April and her return means junior Raechel Hamilton can move to her natural position at center back.
While head coach Chris Schacht said he is glad to have Schlote back, the Hawks will be without senior Carlie Sanders, who opted not to play this spring. Sanders just finished basketball season and will attend Boston College this fall on a softball scholarship.
“We graduated five girls and our roster is smaller,” said Schacht, who’s led the Hawks to two district titles in three seasons. “We’ve got one sophomore, two seniors and 15 juniors, so we’re junior-heavy. The expectations are the same every year. The good thing about this roster is I think we’ll be better this year if we stay healthy.”
Schlote has scored 58 career goals and she’ll have plenty of opportunities to add to that total playing up top with junior Mollie Dulle. Midfielders Hannah Vaughn, Abby Schacht and Breanna Seabaugh can also provide offensive support. Abby Schacht, the coach’s daughter, led Hillsboro in scoring last season with 14 goals and 10 assists for 38 points and was named to the all-league first team.
(Seabaugh, Dulle and Schacht) are all capable of double-digits in goals,” Chris Schacht said. “They’re all capable of scoring at any time and along with Jillian will score the bulk of our goals. If you have five girls who can score, it makes you harder to defend.”
Vaughn is the Hawks’ defensive midfielder and Schacht said she’s the team’s strongest by far.
“She’s gotten faster,” Schacht said. “The weight she moves in the weight room helps with her explosiveness. Putting her in front of (Hamilton and junior back Lauren Pickett) makes our back line that much better. That helps Abby and Mollie generate offense.”
Schacht said he would like to see his daughter notch 20 assists this year. If she reaches that total, that probably means Schlote is lighting up goalkeepers.
Joining Hamilton (all-JCAA first team) and Pickett (second team) in the backfield are wing backs Lauren Kuehn and Ally Bridges (second team), who played in the midfield last year because of injuries. Schacht said it’s rare to have a backfield that’s been together for three years.
“You almost run out of things to work on in practice they’re doing so well,” he said.
Junior Shea Luby logged the bulk of the minutes in goal for the Hawks last season and returns after posting a sub-1.00 goals-against average and six shutouts.
“She’s a really good athlete,” Schacht said of Luby. “She’s very coachable, she listens and has all the good things you want. She’s tall so she doesn’t have to jump high and she gets down on low balls as well. She’s comfortable enough to move the defense and shift them around.”
Hillsboro beat Seckman 1-0 in its jamboree last week and scored the lone goal on a free kick. The Hawks finished 14-14 last season after the 1-0 loss to the Tigers in the sectional round.
Schacht said his players are motivated by that loss and if they play this year they way they’ve been practicing, another district title – and perhaps a deep playoff run – could be in the offing.
“You can’t be prepared for a situation you haven’t trained for,” Schacht said. “So we’ve increased our practice tempo and they’re always going as hard as they can. We never had a club player until (Schlote and Bridges) and now we have three or four more in the junior class. When you play at that level, you’re always playing the highest level of competition. The girls’ goals are loftier than last year.”
All-league keeper leaves De Soto
You know you’ve caught the attention of the coaches in your conference when your team wins two games, is shut out its last five contests, and you’ve been selected as the first-team goalkeeper.
That was Katie Nash’s fate last season for the Dragons, but Nash, a junior, has transferred to the Rockwood School District and that leaves a gaping hole in De Soto’s net. Head coach Nate Reiser said Nash’s loss has been tempered by the eagerness of potential replacements, Abby Pope and Bailee Howard.
“I’m excited about this year,” said Reiser, who enters his sixth season with the Dragons. “It is nice having strong returning players and we are excited to add a number of athletic freshmen. Thankfully, we have four girls who are anxious to take (Nash’s) place.”
Five seniors – midfielders Ashley Landis, Alicia Smith and Desiree Palazzolo and backs Lizzy Asher and Meagan Blanchard – return following a 2-15 season and 4-0 loss to Hillsboro in the district semifinals.
Juniors Macie Wills and Jordan Landis return as starters in the midfield, and they’re joined by sophomores Amy Reiser at center-mid and Cordelia Coleman. Reiser said sophomore Madyson Young can play any position in the field.
“Last season we were very young and we lost nine players to major injuries,” Reiser said. “(Blanchard) had a season-ending ankle injury early in the year and we definitely felt her loss.”
Reiser said this is the first year he’s had height on the roster. In the past, the Dragons tried to keep the ball on the ground, but Reiser wants to attack with speed and place the ball in the air a little more.
“Our younger players are very athletic, so this will add speed and strength to our team,” he said.
Most of the returning players are defenders or midfielders, which gives the Dragons a sound back line, but Reiser said he’s searching for their next great goal scorer.
“I will try a lot of different players up top until we find our striker,” he said.
Lancers’ backfield decimated by injuries
At some point this season, seniors Julia Houston and Carly Joachimstaler and sophomore Molly Bange will line up in the St. Pius X backfield and provide a formidable defense.
But it won’t be the start of the season, as all three are recovering from surgeries. Houston tore knee ligaments during volleyball season and was unable to take part in the Lancers’ second straight Class 2 state championship. But her recovery is farther along than Bange, who tore knee ligaments in the second-to-last soccer game last spring. Joachimstaler had surgery on an ankle.
“(Bange’s) recovery is not going as well as Julia’s,” said Aaron Portell, who assumes the Lancers’ head coaching duties this year after leading the JV for 10 seasons.
The Lancers (11-9 last year) will need a healthy defense because they compete in the JCAA, which includes the defending Class 1 state champion (St. Vincent) and a Class 2 district that contains Cape Girardeau Notre Dame, a state title holder as well. The Bulldogs beat the Lancers 2-0 to win the Class 2 District 1 title.
“We want to win our district and conference,” Portell said. “It’s not an easy task but we’re extremely athletic in all positions and we’re a gritty group of girls. Some teams might have more soccer skill, but we won’t get outworked.”
Not only is St. Pius replacing two first team all-conference selections (Sammy Linderer and Abby Ottoline), but goalkeeper Rebecca Hovatter graduated as well. Portell said the Lancers won’t slip at all in the net with junior Jordyn Spreck taking over. Spreck transferred from Seckman last year and played on the JV.
Spreck tweaked a knee recently playing for her club volleyball team, but Portell said she’d be ready in time for the Lancers’ first game.
“She’s a phenomenal goalie,” Portell said. “She’s just as good, if not better, than Hovatter. She has a lot of experience with her club (soccer) team and is a vocal leader. It’s not a step back by any means.”
Freshman A.J. Agers is having a school year for the ages. Agers has already earned varsity letters in softball and basketball and is about to complete her first year of high school on the varsity soccer team. Because of the injuries in the backfield, Agers will start the season there, but Portell said she’ll eventually take turns as a center midfielder and striker.
“She makes every team she’s on better,” Portell said. “I see her being a pitcher in softball in college, but I see her being a 1,000-point scorer in high school basketball.”
Center midfielder Katie Mathis, back Mary Kate Halfman, wing midfielder Jesse Romano and utility player Madelyn Michael are the other seniors expected to start or play prominent roles.
Junior back Lexi Houston and sophomores Kacey Flanagan (striker), Molly Flanagan (back) and Madison Kurzweill (wing midfielder) round out the varsity.
“Kacey has the ability to put up good numbers,” Portell said. “She’s a tough kid and has a good awareness of where to be and what runs to make.”
Owls try to replace record holders
Last season started with a bang for Windsor, which jumped out to a 6-0 record. A midseason lull found the Owls mired in a 2-5 stretch, but they snapped back with a five-game winning streak that included quality road wins at Festus and North County.
But Windsor (12-7 last season) was shut out by Fox in its last regular-season game, and its season ended after being blanked 1-0 by Festus in the Class 3 District 2 semifinals.
Gone are school record holders Calli Robertson (35 career assists) and goalkeeper Kylie Gmerek, the career leader in wins and shutouts, along with the top four scorers and all of the Owls’ all-league selections from a year ago.
“We will be a young team that will learn and grow throughout the season,” said head coach Mike Hutchison, who enters his 11th season. “Role players from the past will have to step up and lead the way offensively.”
Hutchison said three candidates can replace Gmerek and he’s hopeful one will soon emerge as the leader.
Keri Voegtle (junior, back), Gabby Preis (senior, midfielder), Sam Sabatino (junior, back), Nikki Rice (sophomore, forward-midfielder), Bailey Wilson (senior, forward) and Maggie Zysk (senior, forward) are some of this year’s key players, and they’ll all need to be flexible.
“We expect to have many players in multiple positions so it will take time to sort out roles and determine the best position for the players and the best formation for the team,” Hutchison said. “The offense should improve as we go through the season.”
Hutchison said the Owls will be defensive-minded and try to be opportunistic on offense.
“We will need to keep games low scoring and rely on our experienced defense to win games,” he said.
Tigers have goal scorers
Jordan and Jenna Oetting each scored 15 goals last season to pace the Festus attack. Jordan graduated last spring after being selected on the all-league first team, but Jenna (second team) returns for her junior year as one of the top players in the conference.
Another key piece of the Tigers’ offense also returns. Junior midfielder Claire Werner notched 12 goals last season. Her sister, senior Emily Werner, is a starting forward.
Seniors Miranda DeClue and Maddie White provide a veteran presence in the backfield.
Festus (10-10) upset higher-seeded Windsor 1-0 in the Class 3 District 2 semifinals last year before falling 3-1 to Hillsboro in the final.
“The goal for our team this year is to continue our momentum from the past few seasons,” said head coach Drew Clinton, who begins his fourth year. “We have quite a few returning players who are familiar with how each other plays, which hopefully gives us a jumpstart this season.”
Clinton said he’s not emphasizing wins and losses.
“We are focused on working hard as a team and giving everything we have in each game,” he said.