Girls’ Soccer Preview : Area Teams Expect Tight Race In Conference 21 West

Posted: March 14, 2016
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — There never seems to be much separation among the Winchester and Frederick County girls’ soccer teams, and contests among them can be unpredictable.

Even though all four teams were bunched between 6-2 and 4-4 in the Northwestern District last year, not one two-game series resulted in a split. Handley swept Sherando, Sherando swept James Wood, James Wood swept Handley, Handley swept Millbrook, Millbrook swept James Wood, and Sherando and Millbrook played to the only tie among local schools after the Warriors won the opening matchup.

Games between local schools take on added importance this year now that they’re all in the same conference after Handley’s move from Conference 23 to Conference 21 West.

They’ll all be fighting to get one of the two spots allotted to the conference for the 4A West Region tournament (only the conference tournament finalists will advance, because there won’t be a regular season champion), and those spots won’t be easy to get.

Sherando coach Rob Kilmer thinks Woodgrove — a team the Warriors beat twice in two meetings last year — might very well be the team to beat in Conference 21 West after losing 2-0 to the Wolverines in a scrimmage on Tuesday.

“It’s amazing to see how much they have improved,” said Kilmer, whose cupboard isn’t bare by any means after last season with eight returning starters. “They’re more athletic than they were. But that’s what teams [in Loudoun County] are capable of. There’s a lot of talent over there, and they can improve right away.”

Harrisonburg — which has also moved into Conference 21 West from Conference 23 — also has a solid program. A Blue Streaks team with four underclassmen who were All-Conference 23 selections defeated Northwestern District champion Handley 3-1 last year.

All that being stated, the Judges appear to be pretty formidable. The Judges lost Northwestern District Player of the Year and four-year starting goalkeeper Ellie Volinsky, but they return nine other starters, including seven who earned All-Conference 23 honors.

“There’s a lot of cohesiveness on this team,” Handley coach John Lynch said. “A lot of these girls play together throughout the year, and they all get along really well. We’ve got a lot of experience, and I don’t see any real weaknesses on the team right now.”

Senior midfielder Rachel Levinson (nine goals) earned the most honors of Handley’s returnees last year, receiving second team All-4A North Region honors in addition to first team district and conference honors.

Junior midfielder Kara Johnson (nine goals) was also first-team All-Conference 23, and senior forward Katie Nerangis earned first team district and conference honors after recording four goals and seven assists. Handley’s defense is led by junior Sarah Snow, a first team all-district selection.

Sherando lost a lot of firepower from last year — the graduated Erin Magalis and Audra Sites combined for 23 goals and 15 assists — but the Warriors still feature plenty of scoring punch.

That group includes first team all-district selection Melida Berrios (six goals, eight assists), a senior forward, and second team all-district selection Olivia Elliott (seven goals, three assists), a senior midfielder, and junior forward Megan Triplett. Triplett played defense last year, but Kilmer hopes she can have the type of impact that Magalis had when Magalis moved from defense to forward during her junior year.

Millbrook no longer has the services of 2015 Northwestern District scoring leader Casey Ackerman (18 goals) to graduation, and her younger sister Leah, who chipped in five assists last season, has moved to Charlottesville.

But sophomore midfielder Nikki Justice returns after a standout debut season in which she had five goals and seven assists, and Millbrook adds another proven offensive weapon in senior Lauren Reed.

Reed didn’t play soccer as a junior to focus on basketball and suffered through an injury-plagued sophomore season at Millbrook, but as a freshman at Sherando she recorded eight goals and nine assists to earn first-team district honors.

Another talented familiar face can be found at James Wood in senior forward Emily Denton, who did not play for the Colonels last year to focus on club soccer.

Denton (10 goals and 11 assists as a sophomore to earn all-region honors, 19 goals and 11 assists as a freshman), junior forward and first team all-district selection Neary Casebolt (11 goals, eight assists) and second team all-conference and all-district selection Adrienne Thomas, a senior defender, will be some of the players James Wood (seven returning starters) will look to in hopes of overcoming some key losses.

The Winchester Star’s 2014 Player of the Year, Alex Stanford (14 goals and eight assists) is now playing at Lafayette College, and senior all-conference and all-district defender Abby Lanham (11 assists and four goals) will not play this season after suffering an ACL injury in the winter.

At Clarke County, the Eagles lose two all-state players in goalkeeper Jessie Ambrosio (Bull Run District Player of the Year, 11 shutouts) and Emily Deem (22 goals, area-best 20 assists).

After falling one win short of making the state tournament last year, Clarke County has good reason to think it can make it this year though.

The Eagles — who beat James Wood 5-3 in a scrimmage and tied Handley 2-2 after losing to them 5-0 in a scrimmage last year — return All-2A East Region second team and All-Bull Run District first team midfielders Hannah Ravenscoft (area-best 27 goals, nine assists), a senior, and Sydney Staples (17 goals, 10 assists), a sophomore.

Sophomore midfielder Danielle Toone (10 goals, seven assists), and the addition of several skilled freshmen is also providing reason for optimism.

As always, Clarke County will have to contend with district and Conference 35 rival George Mason, but the eight-time defending state champions are no longer coached by Jennifer Parsons. Clarke County coach Larry Hart said she’s moved to Florida. Hart also expects Central — fourth in the Bull Run District last year and another Conference 35 school — to continue to improve under second-year coach Kim Dellinger.

The following is a glance at each area team:

Handley

Coach: John Lynch, 6th year.

Last year: 9-8-1 (6-2 Northwestern District); Northwestern District champions; lost to Fluvanna County in Conference 23 semifinals.

Key losses: Ellie Volinsky, Ellie Selzer.

Top returnees: Rachel Levinson, Sr. M; Sarah Snow (second team All-Conference 23), Jr. D; Katie Nerangis, Sr. F; Kara Johnson (second team All-Northwestern District), Jr. M; Olivia DeArment (second team all-conference and all-district, six goals), Sr. F; Megan Gaynor (second team all-conference, four goals, two assists), Sr. F; Ruthie Rosenfeld (second team all-conference), Sr. M; Hailey Burke, So. D; Amanda Kesler, So. G, Natalie DeArment, Jr. F.

Top newcomer: Myah Bales, Fr. F.

Lynch’s outlook: “Natalie DeArment missed last year with an ACL injury, and I’m excited to see what she can do this season. She’s playing well. [Volinsky] did a great job for us, but we have a lot of belief in what Amanda can do. She’s had a lot of outstanding training in the last year and is ready to go. After what we did last year, we’re working hard to stay on top among the local teams.”

Opening game: Friday at Harrisonburg, 7 p.m.

Sherando

Coach: Rob Kilmer, 17th year.

Last year: 11-6-1 (5-2-1 Northwestern); lost to Heritage in Conference 21 semifinals.

Key losses: Audra Sites, Erin Magalis, Ryan McKenna, Kelsey Singhas (focusing on volleyball).

Top returnees: Dreaya Somerville, (second team all-district and all-conference), Sr. D; Melida Berrios, Sr. F; Megan Triplett, Jr. F; Olivia Elliott, Sr. M; Taylor Fogarty (second team all-conference, five goals, three assists), Jr. M; Alex Snapp, Sr. M; Lauren Heskett, So. D; Alexa Fairis, So. D; Amanda Hott (six shutouts, 3.4 saves per game), Jr. G.

Top newcomers: Makala Flickinger, Jr. D; Caroline Hudson, So. M; Jessica Poole, Fr. M; Catherine Price, Jr. M; Sydney Hunter, Fr. D; Kara Hendren, Fr. G.

Kilmer’s outlook: “We might be lacking in athleticism compared to some teams, but we’ll make up for that with our skill and organization, which are our strengths. With Melida, Olivia and Taylor, we bring back a lot offensively. Megan Triplett is one of the most talented players in the area with the ball at her feet. We compare her a lot to Erin Magalis, and by moving her to striker we think she can have that type of success.”

Opening game: Thursday vs. SVCA, 6 p.m.

Millbrook

Coach: Matt Cottino, 3rd year.

Last year: 8-8-1 (4-3-1 Northwestern); lost to Dominion in Conference 21 quarterfinals.

Key losses: Casey Ackerman, Taylor Hicks, Nastasha Justice, Leah Ackerman (moved to Charlottesville), Nilsia Velasquez, Brittany Smoot, Emily Heflin.

Top returnees: Nikki Justice, So. M; Hannah Amos, So. M; Lauren Parker, Sr. M; Beth Hagenbuch, Sr. D; Brooke Goodwin, Sr. D; Lauren Reed (back after one-year absence), Sr. F; Nicole Taylor, Jr. D; Laken Nordin (three shutouts, 10.8 saves per game), Sr. G, Indigo Kupka, So. G.

Top newcomers: Evelyn Esslinger, Fr. F; Rachel Keeler, Fr. M; Caitlyn Lawson, Fr. M; Kelsey Riley, Fr. D; Hilary Share, Fr. M/D, Carrington Nordin, So. M; Emily Learn, So. M., Kristen Hunt, Jr. M; Megan Clowser, Sr. F/D.

Cottino’s outlook: “We’ve been working well as a team these past few weeks. We’re counting on the upperclassmen to take control, and we’ve shown strong commitment and a strong work ethic, and we’re just going to keep working at getting better. Lauren Reed, Nikki Justice and Evelyn Esslinger should do a good job leading us as far as scoring this year.”

Opening game: Tuesday at Harrisonburg, 7:15 p.m.

James Wood

Coach: Jim Carden, 8th year.

Last year: 7-9 (4-4 Northwestern); lost to Heritage in Conference 21 quarterfinals.

Key losses: Alex Stanford, Charlie Woods-Hulse, Abby Lanham (out for the season with an ACL injury).

Top returnees: Neary Casebolt (second team All-Conference 21), Jr. F; Adrienne Thomas Sr. D; Emily Denton (back after a one-year absence), Sr. F; Kennedy Green. Sr. G; Hannah Moszak (four assists), Sr. M; Kate High, So. F; Chloe White, Jr. M; Abby Duck, So. M; Saydie Arnette, Sr. D; Brianna Heustis, Sr. D; Olivia Pettler, So. D; Abbey Esparza, So. M.

Top newcomers: Claire Beccaccio, Fr. G; Madison Myers, Fr. M; Lauren Russell, Fr. M; Katie Padgett, Fr. F; Yeakley Pullen, Fr. D.

Carden’s outlook: “I think we’ll do better as a team once we reach the halfway point of the season. I think our depth will be a strength for us, but we’ll be mixing in a lot of new players and it’s going to take time for us to come together. It’s big having Emily Denton back. She puts a lot on herself, but she knows she has to get a lot of help from her teammates for us to be our best.”

Opening game: Tuesday at Dominion, 7:30 p.m.

Clarke County

Coach: Larry Hart, 3rd year.

Last year: 17-5-1 (13-2-1 Bull Run District); lost to Maggie Walker in 2A East Region semifinals.

Key losses: Jessie Ambrosio, Emily Deem, Allie Turner, Michaela Harrell, Madison Mackintosh.

Top returnees: Hannah Ravenscroft, Sr. M; Sydney Staples, So. M; Danielle Toone, So. M; Madison Kosiorek, So. D/M; Lauren Allen, Sr. D; Vivian Hurtado, So. D; Rachel Brown, So. D.

Top newcomers: Maeve Lyman, Fr. M; Bristen Broy, Fr. G; Cami Sowers, Fr. M/D; Emily David, Fr. F; Skylar Bragg, Fr. F.

Hart’s outlook: “We’re a lot faster this year, and I think that’s really going to help us. Bristen has a tough job replacing Jessie. There are things she has to improve on, but she played really well against James Wood, and the girls have confidence in her.

“The last few years we’ve had the motto ‘One step closer.’ I tell the girls that we’re not rebuilding, we’re reloading, and if we stay healthy I think we can make a pretty big run this year. The freshmen want to build on what we’ve done before, and they’re actually raising the bar for us.”

Opening game: Tuesday vs. Riverside, 7 p.m.

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