Under new head coach Pam Zaring, the St. Pius X girls soccer team shut out Sullivan 4-0 in their season opener March 21.
The Lancers scored two goals in each half. Sophomore midfielder Abby Koepke tallied two and junior midfielder Emma Miller and freshman forward Leslie Pfingsten each banged home one. Senior forward Bridget Flanagan had two assists and two fouls. Senior goalkeeper Mary Hrdlicka made four saves and earned the shutout. St. Pius began play in the Fox Invitational on Monday with a 5-1 victory over Windsor. Five Lancers scored and Hrdlicka was again in goal.
When she’s not in goal, Hrdlicka will play in the backfield in front of senior keeper Kadyn Gottman, who posted 10 shutouts and had a goals-against average of 0.44 last season. As the numbers attest, Gottman and Hrdlicka (six shutouts, 0.51) make a formidable, experienced tandem. She was injured in practice and could return to the lineup next week.
“Kadyn brings veteran leadership and poise to the field as our senior goalkeeper,” Zaring said.
Gottman was the starting goalie as a freshman in the 2022 Class 1 state championship game against Whitfield. Hrdlicka and Flanagan were also starters on that team. Flanagan also played for the Lancer basketball team that finished fourth in Class 3 in 2024 and was the team leader in assists this past season.
After subtracting a combined 31 goals with the graduation losses of Natalie Pate and Emily Vatterott, Pius still has plenty of firepower returning, including Flanagan.
“She is an explosive offensive threat,” Zaring said. “Bridget is all around possibly our best athlete and brings great IQ and work ethic to the team.”
The Miller sisters, Abby (junior back), Emma (junior midfielder) and Maddi (senior midfielder) are a scoring unit themselves, combining for 27 goals and 29 assists a year ago. The trio acted like a social network on the pitch.
“The three sisters are loaded with skill, explosiveness and experience,” Zaring said. “They are phenomenal soccer players and athletes.”
Abby Koepke (sophomore midfielder), Mabel Sanders (junior back/midfielder), Heidi Vatterott (sophomore back/midfielder), Mackenzie Gudic (senior back) and McKenzie McNutt (junior back) are also returning starters.
“We are a well-balanced team with a very offensive approach,” Zaring said. “Possession is priority with the objective of building our attack.”
St. Pius is not affiliated with a conference, but in their final season as a member of the Jefferson County Activities Association in 2024, Gudic was named to the all-JCAA first team. She was also a first-team all-state selection.
“Her IQ and skill levels are elite,” Zaring said.
The coach also pointed to Sanders as “a very special player with a bright future, post-high school. She is steady and consistent, and her aggressive play holds down the center of the field. She’s a very physical player with a high IQ.”
Zaring said Vatterott and Koepke are the present and future of the program.
“They are very dynamic midfielders who possess different strengths – both extremely special players who play beyond their years. We have a deep bench of solid players I can rely on to do their jobs. Every player would deserve their own mention.”
The team took a hit last week as senior co-captain Bailey Cappozzo suffered a season-ending injury, also cutting short her prep career. She had five goals and five assists last year.
“She deserves her own mention for the role she plays as a leader of this team and the role she would have played on the field,” Zaring said. “Our season is dedicated to Bailey.”
St. Pius is in a far-flung Class 2 District 1 with Bayless, De Soto, Fredericktown, Perryville, St. Vincent, Saxony Lutheran and Windsor.
“Our goal for this season is to reach the potential these players have,” Zaring said. “We no longer have a conference to participate in, so our focus is to go as far as we can in the postseason. The skill and talent are there, and the desire is there. They will continue to work to perfect the fluidity of play and finishing attacks.”