Caldwell County begins ranked in the top five in the first YourSportsEdge.com Second Region Rankings
1. Henderson County High School Lady Colonels
Ben Dempsey enters his 4th season in charge of the Henderson County Lady Colonels’ soccer team after leading the team to a spectacular 20-4-1 record in 2016. After cruising to a second straight 2nd Region championship, this time without allowing a goal in the tournament, the Lady Colonels’ season ended with a 6-1 first round loss to Owensboro Catholic in the state tournament. It was the second time Henderson lost to the Lady Aces last season, with its only other losses coming to the 4th Region’s Bowling Green and South Warren. The Lady Colonels scored 115 goals and only allowed 27 on the way to a perfect region (11-0) and district (3-0) record, with only 3 of those goals conceded to 2nd Region teams. The team finished 14th in the state in scoring and its 3.5 scoring margin was good enough for 12th statewide.
It may be disheartening for the rest of the region to learn Coach Dempsey only lost four players to graduation, although the 13 shutouts for goalkeeper Ashlee Wilson and the 13 goals and 7 assists posted by forward Darby O’Nan will certainly be missed. Leading the formidable list of returnees is junior phenom, Maddie Griggs. Griggs put up 50 goals and 15 assists in her sophomore campaign, placing her 7th in the state in scoring. Much of the rest of the scoring was spread out among a number of players, with junior midfielder Maddie Tompkins (9) and sophomore forward Abbey Roberts (7) leading the way. While Griggs led the team in assists as well, senior defender/midfielder Katie Bickers and senior defender Marissa Sauer will be back looking to improve on their impressive totals of 14 and 13 assists, respectively.
2. University Heights Academy Lady Blazers
Graduated three seniors. All 8th District, 1st Team All 2nd Region and Honorable Mention All State, junior midfielder Lilly Strader returns, along with All 8th District, 1st Team All 2nd Region and Honorable Mention All State, senior defender Alli Cundiff. Junior Kayla Gallup, senior defender Taylor Rogers, sophomore goalkeeper Lainey Burman, and junior Maddie Bennett are back, along with senior Sheldon Covington, who missed most of last season through injury. Freshmen Kate Cansler, Emily Hancock, Sarah Covington, and Grace Pape will also contribute. 16-4-1 record last season. Lost to Henderson County 3-0 in 2nd Region semifinals.
3. Hopkinsville High School Lady Tigers
Graduated seven seniors. Return All 2nd Region selection Avery O’Hara, senior defender Libby Steil, senior forward Gwendolyn Bell, junior forward Nora Snyder, and sophomore defender Anna King. Sophomores, forward Keeli Miles, defender/midfielder Lexi Cantrell, and midfielder Greer Givens also return, with freshman Peyton Lewis expected to have an impact as well. Junior defender Kyler Scheben will contribute, and the Lady Tigers also added transfer Sarah Johnston. 13-8-2 last season. Lost 4-0 to Henderson in the 2nd Region championship.
4. Caldwell County High School Lady Tigers
Graduated four seniors and leading scorer Zaria Blount moved away. Nine starters return, including senior midfielders MacKenzie Smiley and 2nd Team All 2nd Region selection Taely Freeman. Other returning standouts include sophomore Lucy Goffinet, junior midfielder Laney Fletcher, and senior goalkeeper Dru Hadley Thomas. Sophomore Bella McConnell is also back, after joining Freeman, Smiley, Thomas, and Fletcher on the All 7th District Team last season. 13-10-1 record last season. Lost 3-1 to Hopkinsville in the first round of the 2nd Region tournament.
5. Madisonville-North Hopkins High School Lady Maroons
In 2017, Coach John Tichenor returns to the sidelines for the Madisonville-North Hopkins Lady Maroons, after having previously coached the team from 2009-2014. Tichenor also coached 23 seasons with the Madisonville boys’ program, where his 305-158-20 record places him 6th in all-time wins for Kentucky boys coaches. Tichenor takes over from Derek Adkins and inherits a team coming off an 8-11 season, its 2nd straight losing season after 15 consecutive years over .500. The Lady Maroons went 6-7 in the region and 3-2 in the district, while scoring 35 goals and allowing 32. Madisonville fell to Caldwell 2-0 in the 7th District championship game, putting an end to an eight-year district title streak, and ended its season with a 2-0 loss to UHA in the 1st round of the 2nd Region tournament.
The Lady Maroons lost only three players to graduation, including goalkeeper Brynin Carver, who posted 6 shutouts in her senior season. Madisonville was tight in defense in 2016, but suffered from a lack of goals. However, most of the attack returns, with last season’s leading goalscorer, Keely Ashby (6 goals, 1 assist) joining team assist leader, junior Sara Bachman (5 assists) in the Lady Maroons midfield. Also back are two seniors and a sophomore who all tied for 2nd in team goals last season. Seniors Maggie Holmes and Anna Morgan and sophomore Kensley Zieba all posted matching 5 goal, 2 assist seasons, and will look to improve on those numbers to bolster the Madisonville attack.
6. Hopkins County Central High School Lady Storm
The Hopkins County Central Lady Storm notched a 10-8-1 record in Coach Shawn Oakley’s first season, including a 7-6-1 mark in the region and 3-2 in the district. The Lady Storm scored 71 goals while only conceding 41, the 2nd season in a row they’ve managed a positive goal margin, something they hadn’t done since the 2003 season. Hopkins Central ended its season in the first round of the 7th District tournament with a 2-0 loss to Madisonville, leaving the program still without a regional tournament appearance.
The Lady Storm loses the services of six graduates, accounting for most of their 2016 scoring. Karigan Osborne led the team in goals with 27 and finished 2nd on the team with 11 assists. Phoenix Yurga trailed Osborne for the team scoring mark by only 2 goals and led the team with an impressive 16 assists. Rickara Hughes (9 goals, 5 assists) finished 3rd in goals and tied for third in assists with fellow graduate Mya DeHay.
7. Fort Campbell High School Lady Falcons
Graduated four seniors. Return sophomore forward Kaitlyn Cervantes, senior midfield/forward Maddison Ruggles, junior All 8th District defender Jasmine Ward, senior forward Jordan Hardy, senior defender Kariahna Gamblin, and junior forward Jalene Lille. Freshmen expected to contribute include defenders Emmie Ellis and Regan Oakley. Newcomers, junior defender Arianna Shorter, junior defender Hannah Salas, and sophomore defender Angel Manalang will help fill any holes for the Lady Falcons. 6-8-0 record last season. Lost 7-0 in the first round of the 8th District tournament.
8. Trigg County High School Lady Wildcats
Graduated one senior. Return 11 starters. Return All 5th District selection, senior midfield/forward Alyssa Richardson, All 5th District goalkeeper, junior Julia Rhone, senior forward Tiffany Shafer, and 2nd Team All 2nd Region selection, senior midfield/forward Libby Redd. Junior midfield/forward Madison Ireland and sophomore midfield/forward Emily Noffsinger are also expected to contribute. 10-10-0 record last season. Lost to Lyon County in the first round of the 5th District tournament.
9. Webster County High School Lady Trojans
Head Coach Matt Pratt returns for his second season with the Lady Trojans soccer team after posting a solid 11-9-1 record in 2016. Webster scored 70 goals and allowed 66, its first positive goal differential since 2010, finishing with a 9-6-1 regional record and a 3-2 mark in the district. The Lady Trojans lost the 6th District championship game 11-1 to Henderson, but bounced back to beat Lyon County 4-0 in the first round of the 2nd Region Tournament. Webster’s season ended with a 4-1 regional semifinal loss to Hopkinsville.
Coach Pratt will be tasked with replacing five graduates, including leading scorer Brooke Clark. In addition to Clark’s 29 goals and 7 assists, team assist leader Lindsey Grant (10 goals, 12 assists) will also be missed, along with Kaylee Pratt, who finished second in assists with 8, and also chipped in 7 goals. Goalkeeper Michela Knight moves on as well, after posting 4 shutouts in 2016. The Lady Trojans do return their 2nd leading scorer, sophomore Marissa Austin. Austin comes off an exceptional, 19 goal, 6 assist, freshman season.
10. Union County High School Bravettes
Coach Alicia Pike returns for her second season in charge of the Union County girls’ soccer team. The Bravettes struggled to a 2-11-3 record last season, including a 1-8-3 mark in the region and a winless (0-4) district run. They managed 23 goals and gave up 75, culminating in a 2-1 loss to Webster County in the first round of the 6th District tournament.
There may be light at the end of the tunnel for Union, as they only graduated two players and return some key pieces. Senior leading scorer, M/F Alex Wright will be out to improve on her 7 goals, with juniors Anna Wheatley (M/F) and Emily Hagan (M/F) both back after tying for second in scoring with 5 goals each. Hagan’s 4 assists led the team, leaving Coach Pike a strong attacking core. Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Paige Price will be back to anchor the Bravettes.
11. Lyon County High School Lady Lyons
Graduated five seniors. Return All 5th District and 2nd Team All 2nd Region selection, junior forward/midfield Mia Myers, and All 5th District Team members, junior forward Alexis Pinnegar and sophomore defender Kate Gray. 4-13-6 record last season. Lost to Webster County in the first round of the 2nd Region tournament.
12. Christian County High School Lady Colonels
Graduated nine seniors. Return junior goalkeeper Payton Hale, junior midfielder Mackenzie Almy, junior midfielder Brianna Rubio, and sophomore defender Brianna Igo. Freshmen Sarah Watkins and Lexi Hendrix are expected to start in the Lady Colonels’ attack. 3-15-2 record last season. Lost to UHA in the first round of the 8th District tournament.
13. Crittenden County High School Lady Rockets
The Crittenden County Lady Rockets soccer team finished 2016 with a 5-12-1 record, including 5-9-1 in the region and 4-2 in district. Coach Summer Riley returns for her 2nd season, after leading her team to the 5th District championship game in 2016. The Lady Rockets lost 6-1 to Lyon in the final, a disappointing result for them after beating Lyon three times during the regular season. Crittenden last won the district championship in a 2015 shootout over Trigg County. They also made the 2016 All “A” regional championship game, losing 10-0 to UHA. The Lady Rockets’ season ended with a 10-0 regional first round loss to Henderson County.
Coach Riley lost nine players to graduation, including leading scorer Francesca Pierce. Pierce’s 23 goals along with the 9 goals and 7 assists (2nd on the team) of Alexis Tabor, eliminate a large chunk of the Lady Rockets’ scoring. However, junior Ashley Wheeler, who led the team with 18 assists, returns along with senior goalkeeper Bailey Barnes. Wheeler has shown she can generate offense, providing Coach Riley can find someone to replace Pierce’s ability to put the ball in the net.
*Dawson Springs High School will not be fielding a girls’ soccer team in 2017.
