2024 GIRLS SOCCER PREVIEW

 

CLASS 6A
 
2023 State Champion: Mill Valley
 
2023 State Runner-up: Shawnee Mission East
 
2023 Review: With Olathe West's 4-3 sub-state victory over Blue Valley West, the Jaguars' five year run atop 6A came to an end last season. Mill Valley rewarded the Owls triumph by delivering them a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the other Jaguars. Mill Valley would go on to win the 6A state title, its first in the program's history and a perfect match to the first state championship that head coach Jason Pendleton had already won with the boys program the previous fall. The Jaguars broke through after four state runner-up finishes, including in 2022 when the team was still in 5A, by posting three second half goals in the state final to beat Shawnee Mission East 3-0. Olivia Page, the 5A All-State defender of the year and University of Kansas signee, scored one of the team's three goals in the final while also leading a defense that did not allow a single goal in the postseason. Mill Valley finished with an 18-2-1 record, with both losses being against state finalists and the tie taking place against Olathe West earlier in the year. The Lancers gave the Jaguars one of those two losses, while eventual 5A state champ St. Thomas Aquinas delivered the other. Shawnee Mission East finished 18-3-0 as the team took state runner-up for the second time in three seasons. Washburn Rural, which was the team to take state runner-up in 2022 between the Lancers' two second-place finishes, took third last year with a 15-5-1 record. That finish marked the Junior Blues ninth straight year of reaching at least the state semifinals. Washburn Rural has finished as the state runner-up four times since 2014, but is still looking for the program's first state title. Manhattan finished fourth for the third straight season, and fourth time in the last five postseasons. The team, which finished with a 12-7-2 record last year, finished third in 2019, a year where the third-place match was not played against fellow state semifinalist Olathe Northwest. 

2024 Contenders:

Mill Valley saw midfielder Laney Reishus and defender Olivia Page graduate alongside two other all-state first teamers from last season. Senior midfielder Kate Ricker will be the sole returner from the Jaguars' all-state first team selections, while also having her sophomore sister Jamie Ricker holding down the goalkeeper position. Shawnee Mission East sophomore midfielder Natalie Scobie will be the only one of four all-state first teamers returning for the Lancers, which includes the graduation of 6A forward of the year Ashley Koch and goalkeeper of the year Grace Hastert. Washburn Rural graduated three all-state selections, but will still have junior forward Kate Hinck and junior midfielder Destiny Higgs in the fold following all-state honorable mention seasons. Manhattan closed out the Western powers by beating a 12-5-1 Dodge City team 3-0 in the regional finals and a 13-3-1 Garden City team 4-0 in the state quarterfinals. Manhattan returns two all-state selections in junior midfielder Jada Dibbini and senior Emery Ruliffson. Dodge City will return all-state selection Jasmine Ruiz while Garden City graduated most of its All-WAC first team selections, with only junior Isabel Espino still in the fold. Olathe West finished the year with a 13-2-3 record and got the joy of knocking off five-time reigning champion Blue Valley West with a 4-3 victory in the regional finals, only to lose the next round against eventual champ Mill Valley.  Junior midfielder Jules Wardlaw will return from all-state second team season alongside senior goalkeeper Emma Thomas, who was an all-state honorable mention, but will have to help lead a team following the graduation of three all-state first teamers. Blue Valley West, which finished with a 13-3-1 record might have a tough time returning to the program's perennial 6A state title contender status under second-year head coach Kyle Conley. The team lost three all-state selections to graduation while all-state first teamer Lydia Ungashick and second teamer Alexis Morrison decided to forgo their senior seasons to join their Division I teams a year early, with Ungashick off to SMU and Morrison already at Kansas State. Instead the Jaguars will need junior forwards Kyra Berman and Rosemary Pujado to take the reins during what could end up being a rebuilding year. Olathe Northwest senior defender Cami Abendroth is the one all-state returner for the Ravens after the team graduated three first team selections from last year's 13-4-1 squad. The team lost to eventual state runner-up Shawnee Mission East in the quarterfinals. Wichita Northwest will return senior midfielder Merari Flories after an all-state selection, along with a bunch of All-GWAC first team and second team selections, after reaching the state quarterfinals last year. Blue Valley ended up feeling a little disappointed with the team's 14-3-0 season after losing in the regional finals to Olathe Northwest. The Tigers graduated all-state first team midfielder Gigi Mir, but will still have her younger sister, junior Sophia Mir, leading the way after a second team selection. She'll also have the help of fellow second teamers in senior forwards Greta Likens and Megan Mahlock, as well as fellow junior midfielder Calle Sartino.

 

CLASS 5A
 
2023 State Champion: St. Thomas Aquinas
 
2023 State Runner-up: Bishop Carroll
 
2023 Review:

Another year, another state title for St. Thomas Aquinas' girls soccer program. The Saints clinched a three-peat with the team's 2-0 victory over Bishop Carroll in last year's 5A state championship game. Sydney Watts, who is now playing at Vanderbilt, scored two minutes in the final and again late in the first half to finish her senior season with 23 goals and lead her Saints to the championship once again. Aquinas finished with a 18-2-1 record, with its one loss to a Kansas team being against 6A's Blue Valley Northwest, which finished around .500 despite earning wins over two state champions and a state runner-up. The Saints' tie was to Blue Valley Southwest, a team that the Saints beat 4-0 in the state quarterfinals. Since finishing state runner-up to Aquinas in 2021, Blue Valley Southwest has looked like a strong state contender each of the previous two years only to get bumped in that quarterfinal round both times, with the team's 2022 playoff exit happening at the hands of Mill Valley. Bishop Carroll returned to state after having its four-year run of state appearances ended in 2022. The Golden Eagles finally reached the final after getting knocked out in the state semifinals each year during its streak, finishing third in 2019 and 2021. St. James Academy returned to the state semifinals for the first time since winning the 5A state title in 2019, which was the program's fourth. Maize South finished fourth at state for the third straight season.

2024 Contenders:

Aquinas will look much different with Sydney Watts off to Vanderbilt. In addition to replacing an 5A All-State forward of the year in Watts, the Saints will need to replace the production of fellow all-state first teamer Alexis Scherzer. But Aquinas will once again have no shortage of talent, and experience, with midfielder of the year junior Annisten Cabantac and defender of the year senior Jane Hansen returning. Senior midfielder Andie Rylance and junior forward Brookyln Marn also return following all-state first team selections. Bishop Carroll lost a lot more of their all-state first team talent, but will still have junior Leah Henke leading the way. Junior forward Darby Howard and senior Brecken Hoy return from not too shabby campaigns last spring as they earned all-state second team honors. St. James Academy will lose a lot of its talent on the front line, but will maintain a couple key cogs on the back end. Junior defender Avery Rasmussen and senior goalkeeper Addison Tauscher return from all-state first team selections last year, including Tauscher being named the 5A goalkeeper of the year. Maize South returns most of its firepower after last year's fourth-place finish at state. Senior forward Kyndal Ewertz returns from an all-state first team selection while senior Olivia Oenning leads a sizable group of all-state second teamers who will also return for the Mavs. Hays loses all-state second team midfielder Katie Dinkel from a group that finished 13-5-0 last season and ending the year with a 1-0 loss to Andover Central in the regional finals. Senior forward Arely Maldonado earned all-state honorable mention last year. Maldonado will return with three other All-WAC selections alongside her, including fellow first teamer Dani Willeford. Andover Central reached the state quarterfinals before losing to Bishop Carroll, ending the year with a 15-4-0 record. The Jaguars saw all-state second team defender Jasmyn Brown graduate, but will return a quartet of all-state honorable mention selections, including senior forward Haven Deckinger. Maize went 14-4-0 before losing 4-1 to Maize South in the state quarterfinals. Maize will be led by sophomore forward Taylor Dill and sophomore midfielder Taylor Gray. Andover went 15-2-0 last year, ending the season with a 2-1 loss against Maize in the regional finals. Forward Carly Smith graduated after an all-state first team campaign, but the team will still have all-state second teamers leading the front line with senior forwards Breckynn Pugh and Olivia Pugh returning. Blue Valley Southwest has had bad luck with its placement in the years since the team's state runner-up finish in 2021, including last year's state quarterfinal matchup with eventual state champion Aquinas. With defender Reagan Cannon as the only all-state selection to graduate, the Timberwolves are hoping their experienced squad can finally get back to state and re-start a streak like the one they had from 2017-21. Blue Valley Southwest will be led by a trio of seniors returning from all-state selections in forward Hope Kim, midfielder Hannah Palmer and defender Allie Owens. Seaman saw its 14-2-2 season end with a 4-1 loss to eventual state champion Aquinas in the regional finals. The Vikings will try to build upon that success, despite the graduation of forward Jaycee Schumann and Brooklyn Yingling following All-UKC first team selections last year. But sophomore forward Ava Huston and senior Elinore Stallbaumer will step up in their place after receiving the same honors, while also having a slew of all-conference second team and honorable mentions players alongside them as well. The team also has a sizable amount of roster carryover from the Vikings volleyball and girls basketball state title teams. Sumner Academy graduated forward Josleyn Clark after an all-state honorable mention selection for her performance during the team's 15-3-0 season last year. The Sabres will return return all-state second team midfielder Ashley Terrazas. Spring Hill entered last year's postseason with a 9-7 record, but the Broncos pulled out a 3-2 (4-2 PKs) win in the regional finals over a top-seeded Piper squad, which finished with a 15-3-0 record. Spring Hill lost 3-0 against St. James Academy in the state quarterfinals. Piper will likely be focused on trying to make up for its upset loss against Spring Hill in the regional finals, but the Pirates might have a tough time replacing all-state midfielders Sierra Montez and Ryann Clark. Senior forward Ella Buff and senior goalkeeper Thale Ruether will return after receiving all-state honorable mention selections.

 

CLASS 4-1A
 
2023 State Champion: Bishop Miege
 
2023 State Runner-up: Wichita Trinity Academy
 
2023 Review: The reigning champ Bishop Miege entered last year's postseason with a 9-7 record and a winless record against league foes in EKL play. None of that mattered. Miege still won its seventh straight state championship with a dominant 4-0 win over Wichita Trinity Academy in the 4-1A state championship game. The Stags were also dominant throughout the postseason, putting up a 26-2 margin of victory across four games to reach the final. Senior Rose Lenihan scored the go-ahead goal against the Knights and a series of underclassmen scored the next three to put an exclamation point on the team's season, and let the rest of the 4-1A field know that much of that talent will be back to chase No. 8 in the streak. Wichita Trinity finished 11-9-0. Hayden took third place and finished with a 12-6-2 record. The Wildcats took down Baldwin in the third-place game. The Bulldogs finished 14-6-0.

2024 Contenders:

While Bishop Miege graduated two 4-1A All-State first teamers in forward Rose Lenihan and defender Lexi Kurt, Miege still returns the 4-1A co-forward of the year in senior Dory Latenser, the defender of the year in senior Kate Pedrotti and the goalkeeper of the year in senior Livi Shull, as well as another All-State first teamer in junior defender Rowan Epps. Trinity Academy will also have a solid contingent of returners from its state runner-up squad with junior defender/midfielder Haley Green, sophomore forward Jojo Henderson and sophomore goalkeeper Solame Pham. Hayden sophomore Carsyn Broxterman and senior Jill Lenherr will lead the way for Hayden, although Lenherr is returning from an ACL injury that took away her senior basketball season. The Wildcats reached the state semifinals for the program's 10th time last year, but first since 2019. The team is still looking for its first state title since 2015. Baldwin returns most of its squad from last year's fourth-place finish, with Makenna Blanchat as one of the few key players to graduate. But while the Bulldogs will be led by a core group of seniors this year, including midfielder Bailey Smith and forward Nora Prather, the team will have to make up for the lost production of forward Perla Bäckberg, a foreign exchange student who moved back to Sweden. Cair Paravel entered the postseason last year with a 14-1-1 record and cruised to a regional title with a 4-0 win against Eudora, only to be dealt a 6-1 loss at the hands of eventual state champion Miege in the quarterfinals. Lucky for the Lions, the team has a slew of all-state selections returning this season, including 4-1A co-forward of the year in senior Katherine Keys. She'll be flanked by fellow all-state first team forwards in junior Zahra Friess and sophomore KellyAnn Chada. Senior defender Trinity Childs will hold down a formidable backline for the Lions. McPherson went 14-5-0 last year as the team won a regional title, only to lose 2-1 in double overtime against Hayden. The Bullpups will have senior forward Baylee Simmelink back leading the team this year. Circle matched that exact same result as McPherson, albeit losing 2-1 without extra time to Wichita Trinity in their state quarterfinal match. Junior defender Ashlynn Stipp returns for the Thunderbirds. Atchison finished 16-3-0 last year and won a regional title, the program's first. The Phoenix only had a pair of losses from the regular season against Sumner Academy, which reached the 5A regional finals before losing to perennial state contender Blue Valley Southwest. Atchison will need to replace three All-Meadowlark selections, but senior Emma Regan will lead a team looking to keep pushing past previous bests for this program. In addition to Regan, Atchison will have all-Meadowlark first team selection Addison Molt and second teamer Addison Aversman. Louisburg went 12-4-0 in the regular season, but ended up drawing Bishop Miege as the sixth seed in its regional bracket, ultimately losing in the regional final 6-0 against the Stags. The Wildcats saw Addy Ross graduate, but still have senior Lexi Hampton and junior Rowan Yows returning as the team's top goal scorers from last year. Hampton and Yows finished with 19 goals each. Olathe Heritage Christian returns senior midfielder Carrie Cunningham as the Chargers look to improve upon a 11-5-1 season from a year ago. Heritage Christian lost to Baldwin 3-0 in the regional finals.