What's the outlook for Livingston County girls soccer teams in 2023?
Brighton
► Last season: 10-6-3 overall, 6-5-3 KLAA West (T-4th)
► Top returners: Emily Kramer, MF, Jr.; Irene Kiilunen, D, Jr.; Caitlyn McKenzie, D, Sr.; Karis Ray, D, Jr.; Ainsley Seiter, MF, Jr.; Morgan Shaw, D, Jr.; Jana Stanis, MF, Sr.; Anna VanKannel, F, Jr.
► Outlook: Brighton returns four of its top six goal scorers, led by McKenzie and VanKannel with five each. The Bulldogs return both goalies in Jessica Gerych and Caitlyn Thomas and most of the key defenders who helped achieve eight shutouts. Improving an offense that scored only 15 goals in 12 KLAA West games (not including Howell) will be the key to Brighton’s success. Kramer and McKenzie were all-county first-teamers, while Kiilunen, VanKannel and Seiter made the second team. Kramer will be brought along slowly after suffering a knee injury during volleyball season.
► Coach Ryan Carriere: “Our goal scoring is going to come from some of the new arrivers. We have a bunch of talented sophomores who are going to impact us higher on the field. I feel like we always add people on the back line and midfield; this year, we’re going to be adding some goal scorers.”
Charyl Stockwell
► Last season: 9-12 overall, 5-3 MIAC Red (3rd place)
► Top returners: Emma Ashe, D, Sr.; Erynn Dawson, MF, Sr.; Cassie Hall, F, Sr.; Abby Landers, F-MF, Jr.; Maddie Lindsey, GK, Sr.; Teagan O’Connor, F-MF-D, Soph.
► Outlook: Stockwell has one of the most prolific goal scorers in the state in Hall, whose 55 goals last season rank 14th among stats submitted to the MHSAA. Dawson should have a greater impact on the offense after scoring 12 goals last season. Beyond its top two players, the Sentinels have depth after having 24 players try out for the team. There are 11 returning players on a roster of 16. Stockwell’s schedule will be tougher now that the MIAC has merged its two divisions.
► Coach Douglas Brown: “This is hands down the best team Charyl Stockwell’s ever fielded. We’ve got 11 returning players. We’ve got a pretty strong bench we’re going to bring into play. All those things show we’re building a program that’s trending in the right direction.”
Fowlerville
► Last season: 4-12-1 overall, 1-4 CAAC Red (5th place)
► Top returners: Addie Borowy, MF, Soph.; Autumn Carr, MF, Soph.; Morgan Challis, F-MF, Jr.; Mia Jaeger, F-MF, Jr.; Natalie Loomis, D, Sr.; Katie Tait, F, Sr.
► Outlook: Fowlerville returns its top two goal scorers in Challis and Jaeger, who each had seven goals last season. Tait scored twice in the team’s season-opening game. Loomis is the anchor on defense. With only 20 players coming out for soccer, the Gladiators don’t have a junior varsity team.
► Coach Jason Sperry: “We’re real young. My midfield is sophomores. I have quite a few sophomores and juniors who are really contributing. Our skill levels is improving, which is good.”
Hartland
► Last season: 14-3-3 overall, 9-2-3 KLAA West (2nd place)
► Top returners: Leila Al-Qallaf, GK, Sr.; Isabella Czarnecki, MF, Sr.; Alyse Daavettila, F-MF, Jr.; Emma Kastamo, MF, Jr.; Sophia Pietila, D, Soph.; Katie Swirczek, MF, Jr.
► Outlook: Hartland lost some valuable experience with the graduation of 13 seniors, many of whom played key roles on the 2021 state championship team. Daavettila and Kastamo are the only players who played during that title run. Al-Qallaf split the season in goal that year before going down with an injury. She will finally get the opportunity to be the full-time starter in net. Swirczek was an all-county and all-district selection in her first varsity season. The Eagles have only two healthy seniors, while two others will miss the season with injuries.
► Coach Andrew Kartsounes: “We do have a lot of new players and very few seniors. Time will tell whether we are as solid as we hope to be. We’re off to a good start. We have some young players that are going to be important this year and in the future. We have a nice mix this year.”
Howell
► Last season: 1-17-1 overall, 0-13-1 KLAA West (8th place)
► Top returners: Tessa Caltabiano, D, Sr.; Alena Johnson, D, Sr.; Maddie Pietila, MF, Jr.
► Outlook: Howell, which has struggled to compete in the tough KLAA West, will play under its fourth different head coach in the last five seasons. Ashley Savage was an assistant coach last year. A bright spot for the future is having both goals in a season-opening 6-2 loss at Waterford Mott scored by freshmen — Alexis Martin and Riley Livermore. Pietila is the top returning scoring threat. After not having one last season, Howell has a JV team that will play 9-on-9 games because of its small roster.
► Coach Ashley Savage: “Our seniors would be the first to tell you to have a coach come back two years in a row for them was huge mentally. That was a weight lifted off their shoulders. I made a promise to them I’d come back to them last year. I felt incredibly honored to take the program over this year and stay with it for years to come and help Howell become a name in the community.”
Livingston Christian
► Last season: 9-9 overall, 5-6 vs. MHSAA teams
► Top returners: Allie Hunt, D-MF, Soph.; Allie Johnson, MF, Fr.; Audrey Johnson, F, Soph.
► Outlook: Audrey Johnson scored 62 goals last season in a mix of 11-on-11 and 8-on-8 games in the program’s first year. The Falcons have a 16-player roster, but many of their small-school opponents can’t field a regulation lineup. Livingston Christian lost only one player to graduation and still has a young squad. Three of the Falcons have travel soccer experience.
► Coach Kyle Johnson: “We definitely are an athletic group of girls. We will see improvement this year, for sure, just because they all had a full season under their belt. We don’t have a single senior on the roster and only one junior. We’re going to keep working hard to keep learning the game and getting better so in the next couple years we can really compete against some bigger schools.”
Pinckney
► Last season: 13-4-2 overall, 8-0-2 SEC White (1st place)
► Top returners: Alexis Altizer, MF, Jr.; Peyton Delongchamp, GK, Jr.; Claire Denton, F, Sr.; Natalie Graves, MF, Sr.; Valerie Graves, D, Jr.; Zaryah Griffin, MF, Jr.; Alex Hanselman, D, Jr.; Kailey Lambert, D, Sr.; Mackenna Prince, MF, Soph.; Ella Swiderski, MF, Jr.
► Outlook: Pinckney won a second straight SEC White title, but is looking for more following a 2-1 shootout loss to 10th-ranked South Lyon East in the district championship game. The Pirates return four players who received Division 2 all-state honorable mention in Delongchamp, Denton, Griffin and Lambert. Griffin scored 13 goals last season, while Denton and Lambert had 12 each. Delongchamp is in her third season as starting goalie. Despite the team’s success, there are only 16 varsity players and no junior varsity team.
► Coach Sean Grace: “Their mindset is they just want to win that district final. That’s all they can talk about, all they want. They were district finalists three years in a row now. We’re pretty strong all around. With our core being seniors and juniors, last year they were sophomores and juniors. They’re going to be the same player, but just a little bit older and a little bit better.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: What's the outlook for Livingston County girls soccer teams in 2023?
