Konate poised for prolific season

LAST SEASON: 9-4-3

Lost in sectional semifinal to New Palestine

KEY PLAYERS:

Kyle Cansler/12/F

Corban Hartley/12/GK

Cole Justus/12/MF/D

CJ Coleman/11/MF

Shane DeWael/11/MF

Mouhamed Konate/11/F

Jacob Luke/11/D

Kyle Pruitt/11/MF/D

Nathan Weiler/11/D

Rhyan Woods/11/D

Jacob Fontaine/10/MF/D

Matt Powell/10/MF

Head coach: Aaron Britt (4th season)

Only two soccer teams in the state of Indiana don’t end the season with a loss. But for Mt. Vernon, last season’s 1-0 defeat to New Palestine in the sectional semifinals was especially hurtful, and not just because the two schools engage in a fierce rivalry.

In this particular chapter, the Marauders wound up credited with five cards (four red, one yellow) while the Dragons were hit with four yellows. The game was played with a rugby-ish physicality, the players feeding off the frenzied crowds split down the middle. Red and white on one side, black and gold on the other.

But the end result dealt the defending sectional champions a back-breaking defeat, ending their 2011 campaign at 9-4-3 after MV began its season 6-1.

“We could have reacted better and responded better to some things … I think more about our responses and where we need to be than I do anything else,” said Mt. Vernon coach Aaron Britt of his team’s season-ending loss to New Palestine, which dropped him to 0-5 against NP. “Just have to think about how a good, young group can learn from it and get to work.”

Britt would surely love to repeat 2011’s start in 2012, especially on the offensive end. In its first four contests last season, MV tallied 33 goals.

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