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Lady Bulldogs return all 11 starters from last season
Sikeston trying to build on 14-10-1 squad from 2007
SIKESTON -- All 11 returning starters will soon be shooting for a district title that hasn't been in the hands of a Sikeston Lady Bulldogs soccer team in three years. Coming off of a 14-10-1 record in the 2007 campaign, head coach Derrick Long and his team are gearing up for a solid run in the 2008 season.
"We've got all of our returning starters from last year," said Long. "That's a plus. We've got a lot of good pieces, and we've got good pieces coming off the bench. It's a matter of putting it together, and I think we can."
Returning starters, or players with experience in the starting lineup for the Lady Bulldogs include, Ashley Angle, Laura Atchison, Katie De La Rosa, Emily Eaves, Jordi Ferrell, Abbi Keefer, Arriane MacGillivray, Jennifer Millington, Amber Minner, Ariel Reynolds, Kaitlyn Turnbow and Megan Underhill.
In the 2007 season, Sikeston finished up the year with a 1-0 loss to St. Vincent in the semi-final game of districts.
"In the last few years, we've made runs at the wrong time of the year," said Long when asked about the expectations of the season at-hand. "We're hoping to stay focused throughout the season, and we're hoping to reach the district championship that we haven't seen in three years."
The Lady Bulldogs will have to rely on their four captains to take charge and direct the squad towards the goal. The four senior captains are Atchison, De La Rosa, Ferrell and Millington.
Ferrell is coming off of a season in which she finished with 27 assists, setting a school record. She was also named All-Region Offensive Player of the Year, as well as 1st Team All-State. Ferrell finished up second in goals scored, to Keefer.
Keefer racked up 23 goals for Sikeston in 2007, receiving an All-State honorable mention award.
"Thunder and lightning we call them," said Long of the two returning starters. "We're expecting big things out of both of those girls."
"We're also counting on a few of our seniors to help us on defense," he added. "We'll have Millington and De La Rosa, and we'll put a little speed back there with Ariel Reynolds and Ashley Angle."
Long went on to say that he's moved Atchison upfield to help on offense. "It looks good on paper," Long said of the position-swaps. "We just need a few games to test it out and see what happens."
In goal for the Lady Bulldogs, in her second consecutive season, will be Minner.
Minner recorded eight shutouts in the 2007 season, and needs just six shutouts to break the school record for shutouts, set by Audra Wooley with 13.
"I think Minner is going to be strong for us," said Long of his keeper. "Last year was her first year, and she's a heck of an athlete. She saved us in a lot of games last year."
Also making headlines for Sikeston is Eaves, who comes in as the third leading scorer from last season with 11 goals. She also had 19 assists in 2007.
As for any players that may be getting their name discussed in the near future, Long said that freshman Morgan Fraser is a good candidate.
"She's going to get a lot of varsity time," said Long, commenting on Fraser. "I think she's really going to help us this year."
"Other than that, it's mainly going to be the players we had last year," he went on to say. "That's the luxury of not having to bring up players. They can get the experience they need on the JV squad."
Thirty-two members make up the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs soccer team, with roughly 18 making the varsity cut.
Aside from the four senior captains and Minner in goal, Turnbow and Underhill will be playing their last season for Sikeston before graduating later this spring.
Speaking on the captains, Long said that they've got the program heading down the right path earlier this season, than years past.
"I think they'll lead us well," said Long of his captains. "It's Millington's fourth year as a captain, as she received that mark as a freshman. It's the last year for these captains, and they've got a little fire in their eyes. They're already in about mid-season form, and they're trying to get everybody on the same page."
Looking ahead to the schedule, Long said that the year never seems to have an easy stretch.
"We have a lot of tough opponents," he said. "All of our conference opponents are tough. The biggest rivalry in the district is probably trying to beat Notre Dame. St. Vincent is also tough in the district, and they're a solid team. They only lost one player and have a good group of freshman coming up."
Up first for the Lady Bulldogs is one of the two aforementioned teams, the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs. The clash of the Lady Bulldogs is set to take place March 24 in Cape Girardeau at 5 p.m.