“We were very solid defensively last year,” Northwest head coach Dave Willis said. “That was kind of our element. We weren’t going to score a ton of goals, but we knew we could keep the other team off the scoreboard.”
But the Lions realize that to recapture postseason glory, they will need to match that level of play at the offensive end. Northwest saw its 2018 hopes end with a 1-0 loss to Jackson in the Class 4 District 1 championship game, and Willis said the team is determined to take the next step this season.
“We were close last year, and the girls have kind of let that loss stick in their craw a little bit, motivated them to come back and do even better,” he said.
Fortunately for the Lions, Willis said they may have the pieces to make that happen, as long as those pieces are able to remain intact.
“Our three best offensive players are nursing injuries right now, but if we can stay healthy, we’re going to be pretty balanced,” Willis said. “I feel like last year, defense was our focus, but if we can get everybody playing to their abilities, I think we’re going to be able to score our share of goals.”
Part of the reason for Willis’s optimism is the return of senior Brea Griffonetti, who last year was named the team’s MVP due to her willingness to fill whatever role the team needed and her ability to consistently be one of the best players on the field. At times, that will mean shutting down the opposition’s best player, which Willis said Griffonetti was able to do against Division I-level talent last season.
“Brea will man-mark those girls, because Brea’s mean, and she’s physical, and she’s fast, and she’s up to the challenge,” Willis said. “Brea did a knockout job locking down some of the state’s best forwards.”
But Griffonetti, who last season scored seven goals with four assists, will also be asked to make significant contributions as an attacking wing player, either at forward or outside midfielder, and Willis said Griffonetti, who tweaked an ankle and may be out for a few weeks, gives the Lions a dangerous offensive weapon.
“Brea is just so fast, and if we can isolate her in one-on-one situations, she is going to create a lot of problems for other teams,” Willis said.
Those problems could become two-fold, as Brea’s sister, freshman Talia Griffonetti, brings a similar dimension to the other wing position for Northwest.
“For the first time in a while, I feel like we have pretty good speed out wide that can really test some teams,” Willis said.
Senior striker Meghan Pemberton led Northwest in both goals (13) and assists (10) last season. Willis said Pemberton, who has had her share of nagging injuries during her four-year varsity career, is not at 100 percent at the moment, but Willis said Pemberton can bring quick-strike abilities to the team.
“She’s scored some big goals for us,” Willis said.
Sophomore Katelyn Long scored four goals with six assists last season, and Willis said he expects Long to play a big role in the team’s offense.
“Katelyn is one of my best defenders, so she will also see some time on defense, but she is a goal scorer,” Willis said. “She’s just a bull in a China shop. She makes things happen, she plays hard, plays physical, she’s aggressive, and she just loves to score goals.”
Senior Mary Stewart returns at holding midfielder, and Willis said Stewart likely won’t slow down until after the season ends.
“Mary probably logs more miles than any girl I have on the team, and she probably has better ball skills than anybody I’ve got,” Willis said. “She plays quick, she plays fast. She never tries to do any more than she can do, but she’s a gamer.”
Other midfielders include seniors Sara Osborne and Maddie Douglas, and freshman Grace Lauman.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to keep our work rate pretty high at midfield because we have so many quality options at that spot,” Willis said.
Willis won’t need to worry so much about options in the backfield, because Northwest returns all of its defenders, including all four starters. Leading the way will be senior center backs Macy Davis and Olivia Stahlman, both four-year varsity players.
“We are very strong up the middle,” Willis said. “Those two are the heart of our defense.”
Davis also gives the Lions a weapon on set pieces with her ability to head the ball, and she finished last season with 10 goals and eight assists.
“Macy is a dynamic player,” Willis said. “Just fantastic defensively, but when you add in what she can do on head balls, that’s so valuable. Macy can do things that not a lot of girls can do.”
Senior Jordan Owens and junior Jillian Ems return at wingback.
“I feel really confident in my back four,” Willis said. “I think defense is going to be a strength for us.”
In goal, senior Hanna Harrison replaces Olivia Berry, a stalwart for many seasons who is now playing at BenedictineCollege. Willis said he initially thought goalkeeper would be a question mark for Northwest this season, but Harrison has risen to the task.
“Hanna does a really good job of positioning,” Willis said. “She’s always setting herself up for success early in possession, and she blocks a lot of shots just from the fact that she’s in the right position, so the ball is going to hit her. Plus she’s really good on high balls, which is something I really value in a keeper.”
The Lions boast several four-year varsity players, who were freshmen the last time the team won a district title in 2016. Willis said he believes the opportunity is there for Northwest to taste similar success this year. The Lions open the season March 19 at Hillsboro.
In the first year of Suburban Conference pool play, Northwest, Fox and Seckman are all in the Red pool, which is the second strongest of the four-tiered system for girls soccer. The Yellow pool is the highest level of competition.
“I’ve got a bunch of great kids,” he said. “They’re anxious, but they love it, and they like each other, so it’s fun. I think we’re going to be competitive in every game we play, I think it’s going to take teams’ best effort to beat us.”
Seckman coming off rebuilding year
Last year’s bumpy road could help provide a smoother path for the 2019 Seckman girls soccer squad.
The Jaguars dealt with their share of injuries last year en route to an 8-11 record. Head coach Tim Bookstaver said he hopes the team benefits from that experience this season.
“It was a rebuilding year in some regard,” Bookstaver said. “We were a lot younger last year because of injuries, but that just makes us more veteran this year. While it was a detriment last year, really in the long run it’s proven to be a helpful situation.”
Goalkeeper was one area that Bookstaver didn’t have to worry about last season, as Alyssa Kerperien played all but 22 minutes for the Jaguars. Now a junior, Kerperien gives Bookstaver a luxury that not all coaches can enjoy.
“That’s a hard position to fill sometimes,” Bookstaver said, “so when you’ve got a goalie that has experience and you’ve already worked with her, it calms you down as a coach.”
Senior Whitney Lauffer will serve as the backup to Kerperien, who Bookstaver said has taken a leadership role to help stabilize the defense.
“She’s a bit of a general in back,” Bookstaver said. “She loves to communicate with the defense, talking whole game, and it’s a big help to a coaching staff when you have an extra set of eyes in there.”
Bookstaver said his eyes liked what they saw defensively during the preseason jamboree against Pacific and Hillsboro.
“We didn’t give up a clean shot on goal, so that’s good,” he said.
Senior Abbey Montana enters her fourth varsity season at center back, playing alongside junior Kennady Crutchley. Sophomore Addison Alphin will open up at right back, while junior Reece Wingbermuehle will play at left back. With four goals last season, Wingbermuehle is Seckman’s top returning scorer.
“Reece showed herself to be a pretty dynamic player, and depending on how things go, she certainly has the potential to do that again,” Bookstaver said. “She’s a fast, gritty player, makes good runs, and her timing is getting better with that. She’s really getting better at reading the play.”
Another major takeaway from watching his team play in the jamboree was the girls’ ability to control ball possession, which Bookstaver said gives him hope of some overall offensive improvement for the team.
“We want to control the ball, and that really starts with our midfielders,” he said. “We did see some ability to break down the defense quickly, and I think we have several players who may be able to get on the scoresheet this year.”
Leading the Jaguars’ midfield will be seniors Abbey Icenhower and Malorey Krutzsch.
“They bring a lot of skill to the team,” Bookstaver said. “They played together for a lot of years on their club team, so they understand how to play with each other. They know when to slow the game down and when they need to pick up the tempo.”
Freshman Payton Montana will likely see significant playing time at midfield as well.
“Payton brings a lot of good energy,” Bookstaver said. “She’s a little more attack minded, she can push the ball a little quicker, which is good. The other two are great skill-and-vision players, and Payton’s burst in the midfield will help us push the defense back.”
Junior Lauren Isbell moves to striker after playing more of an attacking midfielder role during previous seasons, and Bookstaver said he expects Isbell to surpass her totals of three goals and three assists last year.
“She played really well for us, and while she didn’t really statistically shine last year, I think Lauren will get on the board a lot more this year,” Bookstaver said.
“She’s a very good technical player. Her ball skills are really good, but she’s got good burst ability. So as a striker, she’ll be able to check to the ball, and she has a very good first touch, a very good shot. If we can get her the ball, she’s capable of creating her own shot but also capable of creating for others.”
Junior Arial Clark plays at a wing forward spot, with freshman Hayley Hogenmiller making a strong bid to open the season on the other wing.
“She shows herself to be a pretty dynamic one-on-one player,” Bookstaver said.
Seckman will open the season on Monday at Poplar Bluff.
Stirnemann scored 11 goals last year
Fox finished 9-13 in 2018 after losing 6-1 to Oakville in the Class 4 District 6 tournament.
The Warriors have been shuffled around in district play for several years, and this year landed in District 2 with Lindbergh, Mehlville and Oakville.
Seniors Sydney Adamec, Gabbi Flores, Grace George, Raven Robins and Taylor Stirnemann all return to the Warriors this season. Stirnemann scored 11 goals last season and is the team’s leading returning goal scorer. Adamec posted five goals.
Flores, George and sophomore Amelia Chapman all played in goal last season for Fox and the three keepers are back this spring.
The Warriors begin the season at Lutheran South on Friday.