25 CLASS 5A GIRLS SOCCER PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2024
 
 

HAILEY BERGMANN, SPRING HILL
 
Bergmann earned All-State second team and All-Frontier first team honors as a sophomore last year. The junior defender helped lead the Broncos to a regional championship, despite the team entering the postseason with just a 9-7 record. 

 

MADDIE BRACY, EISENHOWER
 
Bracy, a senior, earned All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II first-team honors last season as a central defensive midfielder for the Tigers. Coach Roger Downing says the Emporia State signee is a workhorse “and allows us to scheme for teams in ways teams aren’t used to seeing.” She can provide coverage all over the field and play similarly to an attacking mid.
 

 
ELLA BUFF, PIPER

A player who Piper coach Ryan Von Bevern says is one of the only great players he’s ever coached who “is actually better than she thinks she is,” Buff helped Piper to a 15-3 record and the United Kansas Conference title. Even in doubling up as a track athlete for the Pirates as well, Buff was a strong scoring complement to UKC player of the year Sierra Montez. Buff finished with 18 goals to rank only behind Montez and also had 11 assists despite missing two games for track. A first-team All-UKC pick, Buff also was honorable mention All-Class 5A.
 
 

ANNISTEN CABANTAC, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
Cabantac returns for her junior season as one of the top midfielders in the state. She earned All-State and All-EKL first-team honors last season as a sophomore. She was a key piece in the middle for a team that outscored its opponents 23-1 through five postseason games on the way to the team’s third straight state title. The Saints finished the year with an 18-2-1 record.
 

HAVEN DECKINGER, ANDOVER CENTRAL
 
Deckinger’s speed and versatility make her a valuable asset to her Jaguar teammates, who voted her team MVP last season after she scored 14 goals and added 4 assists to earn All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II first-team honors at forward. A Tabor College commit in soccer and basketball, Deckinger, the team captain, opened the season with 26 career goals and 18 assists, but has earned all-league honors at midfielder and defender in the past and has the ability to drop back to aid Central’s defense.
 

KYNDAL EWERTZ, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Ewertz notched her 100^th career goal in Maize South’s season-opening victory over Andover. The senior striker set up that milestone last spring by resetting her own single-season school record for goals with 46 (she scored 34 as a sophomore) and led the Mavericks to their third consecutive Class 5A fourth-place finish. Ewertz, an Arkansas signee, was chosen All-Class 5A first team and the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I player of the year for the second consecutive season.
 

RHYAN GALYON, HUTCHINSON
 
Galyon was one of two freshmen to earn All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team honors at forward last season after she scored 12 goals and added 6 assists for the Salthawks. She quickly established herself as one of Hutchinson’s hardest-working players, and is one of eight returning starters. She will work alongside sophomore forward Azul Maciel to try to help Hutch improve on last season’s 6-11 record.
 

 
TAYLOR GRAF, BASEHOR-LINWOOD

A four-year starter for the Bobcats, Graf has earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors each of the past two seasons from her left back position. The senior was the highest-scoring defender in the UKC last year, recording 5 goals and 11 assists as a junior. Her goal total nearly doubled her career goals through her first two seasons (3) and for her career she has 35 assists. 
 

JANE HANSEN, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
Hansen returns for the Saints as the reigning 5A All-State defender of the year. She earned All-State and All-EKL first-team honors, leading a defense which allowed just one goal across five postseason matches on the way to Aquinas' third straight state title. The Saints ended the year with an 18-2-1 record.
 

LEAH HENKE, BISHOP CARROLL
 
Bishop Carroll’s stout defense was an attention-grabber last season, but Henke added plenty of offensive punch with 22 goals and 13 assists as a sophmore. That helped the Golden Eagles post a 19-2 record and second-place finish to St. Thomas Aquinas in Class 5A. Henke landed All Class 5A and All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team honors, and is a key piece as one of six returning starters.
 

 
IZZY JONES, DE SOTO

Jones had the best season of her career last year for the Wildcats, nearly matching her career goal output by scoring 20 goals during her junior campaign after combining for 25 as a freshman and sophomore. The senior forward also added four assists last year and has 17 in her career, and earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors as well as honorable mention All-Class 5A honors.
 

HOPE KIM, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST
 
Kim returns for her senior season looking to push her Timberwolves back into the finals for the first time since her freshman campaign. Kim scored 12 goals and dished out six assists for Blue Valley Southwest last season. She earned All-State first-team honors for the second time, while also earning All-EKL honorable mention after making the league’s first team honor rolls the previous two years. Kim enters the year with 34 goals and 18 assists during her career.
 

ARELY MALDONADO, HAYS

Maldonado was a key weapon on Hays’ 13-5 team last year. She earned all-state honorable mention honors after recording a team-best 22 goals with six assists. Maldonado was also a first-team All-WAC pick. She entered her senior season with 32 career goals. Hays coach Tyler Rueschhoff said endurance is one of Maldonado’s best assets. She owns the school record in cross country.
 

BROOKLYN MARN, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Marn will likely see her role expand a bit following the graduation of Sydney Watts, last year’s 5A All-State forward of the year. Marn already showed she’s up for the task, earning All-State and All-EKL first team honors a season ago. She will lead a Saints team which finished the year 18-2-1 to win their third straight state title.
 

OLIVIA OENNING, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Much of Maize South’s vaunted offense starts with the Mavericks’ ability to defuse opponents’ attacks. Oenning, a senior midfielder, has been among the best at it. Coach Rey Ramirez views her as a connecting piece between the Mavs' offense and defense. Last season, Oenning earned All-Class 5A second-team and All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team honors at midfielder during the Maize South’s third straight fourth-place finish in 5A.
 

HADLEY OSTRANDER, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Ostrander, a junior, locked down the goalkeeper position for Maize South last season. After yielding four goals in a high-scoring, early-season victory over Circle, Ostrander and the Mavericks’ defense allowed a combined total of five goals over the next 17 games with 12 shutouts. Ostrander earned All-Class 5A and All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I second-team honors.
 

HANNAH PALMER, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST
 
Palmer returns from a junior campaign which earned her All-State and All-EKL first team honors. The senior midfielder set the program’s single-season goals record with 25 last season, while also serving out nine assists. Her 61 career goals is already the school record as well. Palmer, a K-State commit, will try to push her team back to state for the first time since her freshman year. The Timberwolves were knocked off in the state quarterfinals last year by the eventual 5A state champ Aquinas. 
 

BRECKYNN PUGH, ANDOVER
 
Pugh, a senior, and her twin sister, Olivia, earned All-Class 5A second-team honors at forward last season, working with now-graduated Carly Smith to comprise a formidable front line. Both tallied 16 goals for the Trojans, who finished 15-2, and each inherits a larger role in Andover’s offense this season. Breckynn usually operates from the left side. She and her sister will play collegiately at UMKC. 
 

AVERY RASMUSSEN, ST. JAMES ACADEMY
 
Rasmussen earned All-State and All-EKL first team honors last season. The junior defender, alongside senior goalkeeper Addison Tauscher, will be the keys for this team to maintain a stingy defense as the team takes time to figure out its offense after losing quite a few forwards to graduation from last year’s team. Rasmussen helped lead the Thunder to a 18-3-0 record last year and a third-place finish at state. St. James Academy lost 1-0 (2nd PKs 6-5) against Bishop Carroll in the state semifinals before earning a 3-0 win over Maize South in the third-place match.
 

IZZY SANDOVAL, NEWTON
 
Sandoval, a senior, enters her final season with 41 career goals and 9 assists after scoring 22 goals and 3 assists last spring to help the Railers post a 9-8 record – a five-win improvement from the 2022 season. An attacking center mid, Sandoval has been Newton’s top player since her freshman campaign, and possesses an ability to change a match by herself. The All-Class 5A and All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team choice will continue her career at Butler Community College.
 

   
Sant will be a key member of a Blue Valley Southwest team looking to reach state for the first time in three years. The junior midfielder earned All-State and All-EKL second team honors last season. Sant scored 9 of her 15 career goals during this last season. The Nebraska commit gives the Timberwolves a high energy player that will help the team’s performance on both ends of the field.
 

MADDY SPIERS, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Spiers’ athleticism and versatility in playing a variety of attacking positions are assets for Kapaun, which finished 8-10 against a highly challenging schedule last season. The junior midfielder scored 5 goals and 3 assists last season, giving her 12 goals and 8 assists for her career. Spiers earned All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team honors and was named to the Olathe Northwest Invitational all-tournament team.
 

 
ELINORE STALLBAUMER, SEAMAN

Stallbaumer has been the unquestioned leader of Seaman’s defense for the past three seasons as a lockdown defender who can also initiate offense from her defender position. Last year she helped the Vikings to a 6-1-1 record in the United Kansas Conference as Seaman allowed just three goals in league play and posted five shutouts. She helped the Vikings to a 14-2-2 mark overall with the season ending in the regional finals against eventual state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. Stallbaumer is a two-time first-team All-City pick and was first-team All-UKC last year after being honorable mention All-Centennial League as a sophomore. She also was a member of Seaman’s Class 5A state championship basketball team.
 

ADDISON TAUSCHER, ST. JAMES ACADEMY
 
Tauscher earned All-State first team and All-EKL second team status last season, including winning the 5A goalkeeper of the year award. She helped lead the Thunder to a 18-3-0 record last year and a third-place finish at state. St. James Academy lost 1-0 (2nd PKs 6-5) against Bishop Carroll in the state semifinals before earning a 3-0 win over Maize South in the third-place match.
 

 
ISABELL VAN FLEET, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS

After scoring 13 goals as a freshman, Van Fleet became more of a distributor a year ago, tripling her assists total from four as a freshman to 12 last year as a sophomore. She added six goals and was a second-team All-United Kansas Conference pick after being a first-teamer as a freshman. She improved her All-State honors from honorable mention as a freshman to second-team status last year. Van Fleet may be called upon to be more of a scorer again this season and has been named team captain.