St. Vincent blazed a trail of glory this spring, leaving county soccer teams in its wake.
The Indians (19-5-1) tore through the Jefferson County Activities Association with a perfect mark of 6-0. That proved to be a stepping stone to a much higher achievement: the Class 1 state championship.
The JCAA coaches named Indian head coach Caitlin Pistorio the league coach of the year and tapped junior Corin Carroll for player of the year honors. Three other Indians – senior Faith Kapp, sophomore Cora Moll and junior goalkeeper Courtney Brewer – joined Carroll on the all-JCAA first team.
Hillsboro (12-7-4) was the only county school to win a district title. The Hawks beat Festus 3-1 in the Class 3 District 2 final before bowing out 1-0 in the sectional round to Cape Girardeau Central. Hawk sophomores Abby Schacht and Raechel Hamilton were selected to the all-JCAA first team.
Schacht, the daughter of head coach Chris Schacht, scored 14 goals and added 10 assists for 38 points from the forward position. When junior forward Jillian Schlote took her 58 career goals to the sidelines on April 11 with torn knee ligaments, Schacht had to become more of an offensive threat.
“Her offensive totals stick out,” Chris Schacht said. “It’s hard to nominate your own daughter, but she deserved to be on the first team. She’s always been more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. Her role changed because of Jillian’s injury.”
Hamilton missed her freshman campaign with a similar knee injury but returned this spring and played well at center back, recording seven goals and two assists for 16 points.
“She’s physical and strong,” Schacht said of Hamilton. “And when we needed help up top we moved her there against her will. The girls know all of the positions. She was in and out early in the year coming back from the injury. As the season wore on she got a lot of confidence in her knee.”
Hillsboro had 14 sophomores on its varsity roster and many played integral roles.
“It’s up to me to realize what I have in front of me and do what I can with those moving parts next year,” Schacht said.
In its last three games, St. Pius X (11-8) played two soon-to-be state champions – St. Vincent and Cape Girardeau Notre Dame – and was shut out both times. The Lancers lost 2-0 to eventual Class 2 state champ Notre Dame in the District 1 championship.
Kevin Halley, who recently stepped down as the Lancers’ head coach after two years in the post, recounted the efforts of all-JCAA first-team players Abby Ottoline and Sammy Linderer, both seniors who were four-year members of the varsity.
At forward, Ottoline led St. Pius with nine goals and 29 points. She spent her first two seasons in the midfield. She will play soccer on scholarship at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
“She scored a lot of goals on counterattacks, making a run to the box and beating defenders,” Halley said. “When teams figured out she was rushing the box, she could find open teammates when needed.”
Linderer, who played in goal early in the season before all-state keeper Rebecca Hovatter resumed her starting role, had three goals and five assists and will play soccer at Lindenwood University in St. Charles.
“For many teams Sammy would play in the back, but she was an important defensive midfielder,” Halley said. “She is a tremendous defender and has knowledge of the game. She sees plays happen before they do. She was important in snuffing out counterattacks before they started.
“She is extremely strong willed and determined player. (Ottoline and Linderer) throw their bodies into situations to help the team.”
Jordan Oetting and sister Jenna Oetting scored 15 goals apiece to lead Festus (10-11) in scoring this year. Anybody who watched the Tigers play immediately saw the chemistry between the sisters, who are splitting up with the graduation of Jordan this spring. Jordan will continue her soccer career at Purdue University.
“Jordan deserved to be on the first team this year,” Festus head coach Drew Clinton said. “She was definitely our go-to player on offense for scoring and setting up other people. She was able to create for us.
“When Jordan was in the midfield and Jenna at forward, Jordan found her and that led to double-digit assists this year. Jenna has the same potential and that’s seen in her goal-scoring this year. She can put the ball in net and has great vision like her sister.”
Windsor crafted a 12-7 record this spring, largely on the shoulders of all-JCAA first-teamers Calli Robertson and Maddy Stringer, both seniors.
Robertson, a center midfielder, had six goals and 12 assists for 24 points and played four years on the varsity. She helped the Owls transition from defense to offense and was especially effective in the offensive zone. She’s signed to play at St. Charles Community College.
“(Robertson) made difficult practices look easy,” Windsor head coach Mike Hutchison said. “She’s a very hard worker in practice and games. She was a vocal leader for us this year, pushing her teammates in practice. She would do anything that was necessary. She played with skill and also did the dirty work defensively.”
Stringer finished with 11 goals and seven assists for 29 points. Hutchison said Stringer loves to score goals. She’ll get more chances to do that at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.
“Most of Maddy’s goals were on the fly,” Hutchison said. “She’d receive the ball with her back to the defender, then score on longer shots from the outside at angles.
“She loves to go forward and take on people one-on-one. A lot of times people shy away from that, but she relishes the job and expectations.”