GREENFIELD — Two key injuries a week apart couldn’t hold the New Palestine Dragons down last season.
Sure, the ACL injuries to then-junior Victoria Crowder and then-sophomore Jordan Reid a week apart had a big emotional impact on the team.
They bounced back, though, pushing through and all the way to the regional semifinals before seeing their season end with a 6-2 loss against Batesville.
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“We started off really well, but with the injuries it kind of took a toll on the whole team mentally and we kind of dipped a little until we got ourselves back on track again,” New Palestine coach Gina Fannin said. “We finished pretty strong though.”
That experience, losing two key players for the season but still winning a sectional title, should serve to give the Dragons a boost heading into a new season.
“We had to learn we’re still strong even though we were down two of our best players,” Fannin said. “Knowing that we could do that last year without Victoria and Jordan, and this year having Victoria back, it gives us a little more confidence.”
Top scorer Olivia McKilligin has graduated, but Crowder finished with nine goals — just two shy of McKilligin — despite playing 10 less games last year. Maddy Miller, the team’s second leading scorer, is back for her junior year as well.
The Dragons lose five seniors from last season, but have 12 seniors on the 2018 roster, with seven slated to be in the starting 11.
Having Crowder back as one of those seven seniors figures to be huge for the Dragons this year. And while Reid has left the team to focus more on basketball, she’s still around the team, having attended last week’s scrimmage and remaining friends with them.
“It was heartbreaking when she (Victoria) tore her ACL,” Fannin said. “The girls are so excited to have her back. It gives our team a good boost to know that Jordan is still around and still cares and to see Victoria working hard again. Girls look up to her. They’re inspired by her, especially by how hard she’s worked to come back and be on the field with them.”
Also returning for New Palestine are two junior goalies, Haley Weinrich and Riley Moss, who are battling for the starting position.
Fannin said that Moss has been dealing with shin injuries so she’s playing catch up currently, but the goalie position could change every game based on matchups and that week’s practices since each brings different strengths in the net.
Whoever is in net will have three seniors in front of her. The Dragons are bolstered on the defense and in the midfield with three seniors in each area of the field.
New Palestine has a lot of depth this year, with several players who can move to different positions.
The big senior class are a close-knit group, playing together since they were children. Fannin said they are strong leaders, and she anticipates that leadership and their chemistry to translate onto the field.
She hopes her team can live in the moment, rise to the challenge and enjoy the season.
“Honestly, our number one hope is to make it a great, memorable season,” Fannin said. “We’re going to strive to get to where we finished last year, get a little big further. But all in all, we want to make sure we enjoy it and have a good time. I’m teaching them to enjoy things even when it doesn’t go your way. Find that silver lining in the cloud.”
New Palestine opens its season at Perry Meridian on Monday. Its first home game is Aug. 15 against Triton Central.
Mt. Vernon
Last year was a record-breaking year for the Mt. Vernon girls soccer team.
The Marauders set every offensive record the team has ever had, scoring 104 goals en route to a 15-4 record, 6-1 mark in the Hoosier Heritage Conference and a share of the HHC championship.
Every team they played, big or small, they scored against.
“Nobody shut us out. I never had a team, boys or girls, that’s done that,” Mt. Vernon coach Steve Williams said. “Against big teams, it didn’t matter who you were, we were scoring.”
The Marauders lost some big pieces from that dominant offense, including Morgan Scruggs, Nicole Ratts and Emma Langdon. Scruggs’ 27 goals led the team, but her production won’t be as hard to reproduce as you’d think.
Cleo Mills, who missed her junior season with an ACL injury, is back. As a sophomore, she netted 27 goals for the Marauders.
Also returning for Mt. Vernon is the Hancock County Player of the Year, Alexi Hardie, a senior who had 27 assists each of the last two years and has scored 118 points in her three seasons with 24 goals and 70 assists.
Williams thinks his team has reloaded from the 2017 team that lost to one-loss East Central by a goal in the sectional final. Having Mills and Hardie back gives the team plenty of firepower.
Jaici Wright, a senior, is back in goal. The Marauders have moved some pieces around from last year, including Riley Hurst and Katie Gowey, and are bringing in three freshmen defenders that Williams said are stellar on defense.
“Honest to god, I think we’re going to be as good as we were last year if not better,” Williams said. “I think we’ll be more efficient on offense, I think we’ll be a more well-rounded team altogether. We’ve beefed up our defense, and right now our offense has been pretty good.”
The Marauders are switching to a new formation this year, but Williams is keeping the specifics quiet until the season starts.
Despite bringing back a lot of offensive talent, the Marauders don’t expect to score 104 goals again and break their own school records. This year’s schedule is much different — instead of opening with Mississinewa, a team they beat 15-0, the Marauders have added a final four team from 2017, Chatard, as their 2018 opening opponent.
The Marauders are just looking to win against Chatard, not score 15 goals.
They’ve intentionally beefed up their schedule, Williams said, in an effort to be better prepared for the postseason.
“Obviously, we want to win conference. I’d be disappointed if we didn’t. I think we’re there,” Williams said. “I would say we want to get through sectionals. My theory has always been try to win all the games you’re supposed to win, try to win a game you’re not supposed to win, and try not to lose against somebody you weren’t supposed to lose against.”
Mt. Vernon starts its season Monday against Chatard at home before traveling to Tipton on Aug. 16.
Greenfield-Central
Unlike their county counterparts, Greenfield-Central looked to return all of its leading scorers from 2017.
One big summer injury changed that.
While the Cougars still return several key pieces from last year, senior Trystan Ailes, a top scorer for the last three years, is not one of them. She tore her ACL during travel soccer, ending her senior season before it began.
But the Cougars, coming off one of their strongest seasons in recent years, have some pieces in place to continue building off their success. They finished last year 14-3 and 5-2 in the HHC. Like Mt. Vernon, they also fell to East Central in the sectional by one goal.
“Overall, it was our best season,” Greenfield-Central coach Erin Clark said. “We had beaten some teams that we had not beaten before. Pendleton Heights, we took them to PKs. Had we won that game, we would have tied for the conference championship.”
Greenfield-Central started the season by giving up five goals in the first three games. That was too many in Clark’s eyes, so the team switched up the defense.
The Cougars allowed just four goals the rest of the regular season, winning 12 of their last 13 games.
This year they return goal leaders Jaeden Ailes and Anne Marie DeKeyser, who each netted 16 goals last year as sophomores.
Lucy Brand, a senior center midfielder, is another key returner who has become more of an offensive threat in the last year. Twins Kennedy and Kambell Trapp also are back after starting every game as freshmen.
One question mark for the Cougars is in the net, where Kayla Enochs, the program’s all-time saves leader, has graduated after four years in goal.
“Losing a goalkeeper you’ve had for four years is tough,” Clark said. “She was such a great leader, too. That’ll be a big loss.”
The team is currently training several other goalkeepers, still searching for an answer for who can backstop the team this season.
With less than 20 players on the roster, Greenfield-Central will have a lot of playing time to go around. The team has three seniors this year, and is focusing on weight-lifting, agility work and stretching to try to increase conditioning and prevent injuries.
Clark said some of the team’s goals this year are to win the conference, earn a sectional title and advance into the regionals.
The Cougars start their season Saturday at Franklin Central, travel to Warren Central on Monday and then host their home opener Aug. 16 against University.
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New Palestine
Coach: Gina Fannin, sixth season
Last season: 13-3-1, 5-2 HHC. Lost in regional semifinal
Key returnees: Victoria Crowder, Olivia Landon, Eden Hurst, Grace Volz, Maddy Miller
Top newcomers: Lucy Miller, Avery Biggs
Outlook: New Palestine gets a big boost in Victoria Crowder’s return from injury. That, coupled with a senior-heavy roster, should help the Dragons compete for an HHC title and make them favorites to advance to the regional again.
Mt. Vernon
Coach: Steve Williams, fifth season
Last season: 15-4, 6-1 HHC. Co-HHC champions, lost in sectional final
Key returnees: Alexi Hardie, Jaici Wright, Cleo Mills, Ellie Roach
Top newcomers: Maddie Swingle, Shay Shipley, Brianna Linton
Outlook: With the county’s player of the year and a lot of offensive firepower returning, Mt. Vernon is in position for another run at an HHC title and should contend for a sectional championship.
Greenfield-Central
Coach: Erin Clark, sixth season
Last season: 14-3, 5-2 HHC. Lost in sectional semifinal
Key returnees: Jaeden Ailes, Anne Marie DeKeyser, Lucy Brand, Kennedy Trapp, Kambell Trapp
Top newcomers: Alex Rupley, Emily Davidson
Outlook: The big question mark for the Cougars is who will replace all-time saves leader Kayla Enochs in goal. The Cougars only lost four to graduation and bring back their top two goal scorers. If the defense stays strong, they should compete for a conference and sectional championship this year.
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