GIRLS' SOCCER: Pottsville eyes another league crown

Sep. 13—Pottsville has earned its place as a perennial favorite in the chase for top honors in Schuylkill League girls' soccer.

Win three consecutive championships, that respect comes with it.

Teams around the league, particularly in Division I, put the target squarely on Pottsville's back.

And, to no one's surprise, the Tide are once again off to a strong start and looking to continue that excellent postseason streak.

Division I

Pottsville lost some good players to graduation. Happens to good teams all the time.

Gone are Republican Herald All-Area Player of the Year Ava Goodman (28 goals, 11 assists last year) and Ryleigh Cook (13 goals, 16 assists). That, no doubt, is considerable offensive punch that needs to be replaced.

The pieces, however, are in place.

Sandwiched between Goodman and Cook on the Tide's list of leading scorers during last year's third-consecutive league championship season was Grace Evans. Only a sophomore last year, she found the back of the net 19 times and had 10 assists.

Through the first six games in the early part of this season, the Tide has a 4-1-1 record, is unbeaten in Schuylkill League play at 3-0 and already owns a 2-1 victory over Division I rival Blue Mountain. During that time, Evans, still only a junior, has found the back of the net six times to lead the team in scoring.

"It will be hard to replace two All-State nominees (Goodman and Cook) who scored 41 goals and had 27 assists," head coach Bob Stock said in his preseason prospectus. "We have the talent but need to play more as a team.

"The outlook for the league is we should be a contender for both the league and division. Jim Thorpe and Blue Mountain will be tough games."

Blue Mountain, the team Pottsville defeated for last year's league title, has a strong squad back as well. However, early league losses to both Pottsville and Jim Thorpe, both by 2-1 scores, has the Eagles in a hole in Division I.

However, with a solid group of returning players that includes Reese Baldwin, Danika Bolinsky, Olivia Gohsler and Sophia Chipriano, the Eagles can't be counted out.

"Our team this year is well-balanced, smart and looking to compete for leagues and districts," third-year Eagles' coach Adam Freeman said.

Jim Thorpe is the team that's looking to step into the mix in the race for the Division I and league titles.

Last season, the Olympians won 11 games overall, seven in league play, and set the stage for the possibility of very big things this season.

"We expect to be competing with the top teams in Division I for a chance to play in the Schuylkill League playoffs," Olympians' coach Tom Condly said. "We're also looking to make a deep run in the highly competitive district."

The Olympians, off to a 5-0 start that includes three league wins, have good reason to be excited.

They return six four-year starters, a group that includes midfielders Nicole Carrol, Lauren LeKites, Alexis Marotto and Riley Rushatz, and defenders Gabby Cinicola and Ehlauna Penn.

Also back is senior Mackenzie Yuhas, who has scored 11 goals through the first five victories, and junior keeper Olivia Rosenberger, who notched shutouts in the team's first four games and has only allowed a single goal through five contests, that one coming in the 2-1 victory over Blue Mountain. Others who have been big for the Olympians thus far included LeKites and Carrol with six goals apiece.

Of note, the Olympians and Pottsville will meet in a divisional showdown Thursday at Pottsville.

Division II

This might be a season for big change in the league's small-school division.

With the addition of Marian into the league, the Fillies were placed in Division I due to their co-op with Panther Valley. That dropped Pine Grove, which finished 8-2-2 in Division I last year and just missed a league semifinal berth, down to Division II.

With defending Division II champion Schuylkill Haven off to an 0-2 start in league play, and runner-up Nativity standing at 0-3, the Cards have emerged as the division favorite, winning their first five games, including four in league play.

Sophomore Viktorya Luckenbach has nine goals over that stretch, while senior Melanie Love has seven, including three in the team's most recent victory, 4-1 over Minersville, another team with high expectations within the division.

"Led by returning players, this young Cardinals team looks to avenge a disappointing postseason finish the past two years," Pine Grove coach Andrew Haas said in his preseason prospectus. "The Cardinals are hopeful to contend for a Division II title, league championship appearance and another District 11 playoff berth this season."

Williams Valley is also off to a fast start among Division II teams, winning its first five games, three in league play, and has posted three shutouts with sophomore Sage Smeltz in goal.

"Last year, we started six freshmen and still had a winning record," head coach Gary Fetterhoff said. "I think we can build on that and should be in the mix for Division II.

"One thing we have over the last few seasons is depth. It has been a hard process figuring out starters, which is always a good thing."

Fetterhoff, in his 15th season guiding the Vikings program, gave his take on the division chase this season.

"Adding Pine Grove to the division makes the division a lot stronger and this should be a very competitive year for all the teams," Fetterhoff said. "I believe this is the strongest team-for-team I have seen Division II in a long time. I believe Pine Grove has to be the favorite, but after that, it's a tossup between some really good teams."

Others eyeing a run at the division title and league playoffs are Minersville and Tri-Valley.

The Battlin' Miners opened this season with consecutive victories over Schuylkill Haven and Nativity, last season's division representatives in the league playoffs, before dropping a 4-1 home decision to Pine Grove.

Under first-year head coach Nate Parent, the Miners return a strong group that includes seniors Grace Motuk, Averee Horoschak, Lauren Hertz and Madison Donlin.

"The coaching staff has a positive outlook for this year," Parent said. "We have many key players returning and we're excited to see what they can accomplish.

"The league and division are always competitive. We'll strive to be at the top of each like we do every year."

Tri-Valley has also gotten off to a fast start, with wins in three of its first four league matches. Cassi Snyder, Jaelyn Pennypacker and Emma O'Prey were the team's leading scorers last season and all are back this year. Through the first six games this year, Snyder has scored 14 goals, while Pennypacker has six.

"We're looking to build off the experience gained from the 2021 season and the effort our team put forward in our winter and summer leagues," head coach Ryan Wagner said. "While still young overall, we believe the playing experience combined with the understanding for our style of play will continue to improve the program this season."

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