HANCOCK COUNTY — The official start to the high school girls soccer season is a little more than two weeks away, and the first practice is less than seven days out, but it’s never too early to look ahead.
Student-athletes from all around Hancock County have been working hard this summer, training with their respective club teams and garnering some exposure, while also focusing on their immediate futures and beyond.
As the days dwindle down until opening night on Aug. 14, several questions are being raised.
Will the defending Class 3A sectional champion Mt. Vernon Marauders reclaim the Hoosier Heritage Conference this season? Can their solid nucleus of returnees get the Marauders back to the regional finals after finishing 16-3 overall in 2020 and 6-1 in the HHC?
Can the 3A New Palestine Dragons make another run at the sectional finals after going 10-7 overall and 5-2 in the HHC for third-place behind Mt. Vernon?
What can we expect from 3A Greenfield-Central and senior standout Kelsi McLaughlin after going 7-9-1 last fall and 4-3 for fourth in the HHC?
Time will ultimately answer all of these questions, but for now, here are some early projected standouts to watch this season, in no particular order, who will undoubtedly challenge for all-county honors and more.
Shay Shipley, Mt. Vernon
An All-Hoosier Heritage Conference and All-Hancock County selection in both 2020 and 2019, incoming senior Shay Shipley ranked second in goals scored last season for the Marauders with 17 in 19 games and six multi-goal performances. She was also second behind graduated senior Anna Isger (Western Kentucky) in assists with nine. The midfielder/forward also thrived in 2020-21 as a multi-sport athlete (girls basketball) along with her soccer club team, FC Pride. In her career, Shipley has 33 goals scored and is a fierce competitor when called upon to cut the field in half or mark a particular opponent’s top player.
Mattie Isger, Mt. Vernon
While only a freshman in 2020, Mattie Isger was an immediate offensive threat last season for the Class 3A sectional champion Mt. Vernon Marauders. In 17 games played, Isger was third on the team with 14 goals scored. The midfielder/forward added seven assists and concluded her first varsity season by garnering both All-HHC and All-County honors. She posted a season-best four goals against HHC foe New Castle on Sept. 3, 2020, and Isger recorded two of the Marauders’ four goals during their 4-1 regional semifinal victory over Roncalli last October. Her game-winning goal against Hamilton Southeastern on Sept. 17, 2020, in addition to her three multi-goal performances, could be a glimpse of what’s to come for this rising star.
Maddie Swingle, Mt. Vernon
There isn’t much incoming senior Maddie Swingle can’t do. A standout for the Mt. Vernon girls basketball and tennis teams, Swingle netted three sectional team titles overall in 2020-21, including the Marauders’ girls soccer team’s first since 2015. The Cincinnati recruit’s true passion is soccer, however, and she made it official this summer by announcing her verbal commitment this past June. Last season, the Marauders’ sweeper posted five goals and an assist in 18 games played with one of her goals finding the back of the net against Guerin Catholic during Mt. Vernon’s narrow 3-2 loss in the regional finals. In her career, Swingle, an All-HHC and All-County honoree, has 14 goals with seven in 2019-20.
Anna Luker, New Palestine
As a sophomore last season, New Palestine’s Anna Luker tied graduated senior Addie Halter (10 games played) with 11 goals scored in 17 matches to lead the Dragons. Her 11 assists were unmatched among her New Palestine teammates and by season’s end she was rightfully selected to both the All-HHC and All-County team in 2020. Her 11 goals bested her freshman season of eight, while her assist totals also increased from nine in 2019-20. Her trajectory is climbing upwards and the Dragons will need the offense if they want to make another run at a potential HHC team title or their first sectional crown in 3A. The programs’ last sectional championship was in 2018 in 2A.
Maddy Potter, New Palestine
Much like her teammate Anna Luker, New Palestine’s Maddy Potter was a game-changer when on the field as a sophomore in 2020. The team captain was an offensive force and a primary scoring threat despite being one of 12 sophomores on the roster. Now, as an incoming junior, Potter will gain plenty of attention once again, for head coach Erin Clark’s Dragons. In 2019-20, the Dragons finished 9-6-2 in Clark’s first season at her alma mater and they were 10-7 in 2020-21. Potter was named both to the All-Hoosier Heritage Conference and All-Hancock County teams as a sophomore, and she earned All-HHC honors in 2019-20 as well. A probable third conference selection isn’t out of the question.
Kelsi McLaughlin, Greenfield-Central
As a standout junior in 2020-21, Greenfield-Central’s Kelsi McLaughlin was rarely without a shadowing defender nearby. With 22 goals scored and eight assists, McLaughlin, the 2019 All-Hancock County Player of the Year, was deadly in open space and when it wasn’t allotted to her, she created her own. In the off-season, she competes in two Indy Premier leagues out of Noblesville, and this summer her club team won the State Cup in addition to the Mid-America League title. McLaughlin was an automatic All-Hoosier Heritage Conference and All-County selection in 2020-21, and she is committed to continue her collegiate career at Illinois State University. An obvious playmaker, McLaughlin, who posted 33 goals in 2019-20, will be one of the favorites to challenge for conference and county honors again this fall, if not another Player of the Year distinction.
