The 2024 girls’ soccer season officially kicked off this week in exciting fashion. Local teams have various expectations, with some eyeing deep playoff runs and others looking to create a foundation for years to come.
Apollo: The E-Gals lost seven seniors from last year’s roster due to graduation and will have a much younger team in 2024. They will look to play a possession-based style while attempting to dictate the tempo.
“We have an experienced back line, and a combination of experience and youthful energy going forward,” head coach Zach Akin said.
Jada Pollard, Kara Green, Eh Htoo Say, and Lilli Ruth all return and will be joined by incoming freshmen Millie Hill and Cing Kiim.
“Our aim this season is to continue to develop our style of play over the course of the year, and to continue to be more competitive against district and region opponents,” Akin said.
Daviess County: The Lady Panthers will bring a high-pressure style while adding solid defense. They return their top five goal scorers from a year ago: Mary Evelyn Wiman, Kate McCain, Lillian Coombs, Bailey Brown, and Amal Kalik.
Kaelin Labhart will be starting in the net and was labeled by head coach David Sandifer as one of the top goalkeepers in the region. In front of her and anchoring the defense are Molly Fuqua, Mackenzie Elliott, Anslie Dant, Maddy Purcell, and Molly Floyd. Averie Owen, Caler Dah, and Emma Schmitt are expected to provide massive contributions coming off the bench.
“We would like to put ourselves in a position to compete for a district and region championship,” Sandifer said. “But we play in a good district and region so we will have to come out focused each game.”
Owensboro: Five upperclassmen return this year, with seniors Georgia Warren, Hailey Westerfield, and Karleigh Brown anchoring the back line. Surround them is a plethora of young talent including sophomore midfielder Ella Hall and the trio of Lily Nieman, Amelia Calhoun, and Lily Paige. Freshman Hayley Sikes has already been named the team’s starting goalie.
“I want to see notable improvement compared to last season, from team chemistry to our game outcomes,” head coach Sarah Poole said. “This is a fun group of girls who are not scared to work hard. One of our goals is to make it into regionals this season, which hasn’t happened since 2013.”
Owensboro Catholic: Led by sophomores Ireland Quinn and Meredith Traylor, the Lady Aces will look to control possession through the middle and connect the ball to their wings.
A few names to keep an eye on are Jenna Brey, Scarlett Isenbarger, and Annabelle Hancock. While they are all in 8th grade, head coach Meg Patton has lauded the trio for their ability to find open pockets, distribute incredible passes, and finish on goal.
“Some goals I have for this season would be for the girls to play hard, play smart, and to have fun,” Patton said. “We are lucky to even have a varsity team this year and I couldn’t be more happy for the girls. We will really be working on possessing the ball, our defensive shape, and finding quick through balls to our offense.”
