After last year’s breakthrough season, girls soccer team must find replacements for the seven graduates.
The Worthington Christian girls soccer team graduated seven players who guided the team to its first appearance in a state tournament last season. The Warriors lost to eventual state champion Summit Country Day 4-0 in a Division IV state semifinal to end the season with a 17-5-2 record.
Yet as the Warriors prepared to open the season Aug. 15 against Westerville South, senior defender Anna Meadows doesn’t feel her team is rebuilding its roster.
It is more like they are adopting new members into their family.
“It was kind of interesting because our team was a mixture of different kinds of people last year,” Meadows said. “We had freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and we all combined well with each other. Each grade played its role in our success. It wasn’t like there was a junior varsity and a varsity. It felt like a family, which was probably my favorite part.
“I don’t think it’s been very difficult rebuilding that. The incoming players are a strong class, and we have connected well with them so far. They’re outgoing people and love the game of soccer. Our chemistry has been really good.”
Graduation didn’t just leave holes in the Warriors’ roster. It left chasms. Worthington Christian lost midfielders Madeleine Hulme, Katie Mast, Brooke Bambey, and Mclaine Oosterbaan, forward Avery Oakley, and defenders Bella Kauffman and Alicia Yoder. Hulme and Oosterbaan were first team all-state, all-district, and all-Central Buckeye League. Hulme plays at Palm Beach Atlantic University, while Bambey walked on at Taylor University. Mast, who had four goals and four assists last season, was second team all-league.
According to coach Luke Fields, if last year’s group taught the returnees anything, it is that a unified team can overcome nearly anything.
“We had girls who had played three or four years together, and they knew last season would be their last time together,” said Fields, who was named the CBL coach of the year. “They were motivated to make it as good a season as possible.
“All the girls learned they must fight for each other. Sometimes that means being a peacemaker. When they see something going on, they must encourage girls to talk it out and make peace. They saw the direct result of that. Suddenly, everyone was having a lot more fun playing because everyone was getting along better with each other by having that goal of unity.”
During their state semifinal run, the Warriors shrugged off:
- a major slump in the middle of the season. Worthington Christian was outscored 12-1 in losses to Westerville Central (4-1), Olentangy (5-0), and Westerville North (3-0) in 11 days.
- three major injuries. Oosterbaan (18 goals, 10 assists) played hurt most of last season. She sustained two ankle injuries before the season started and then tore her right meniscus midseason. She put off having surgery until the Warriors finished their tournament run. Worthington Christian also lost Bambey to an ACL injury, the third injury in her career. Finally, Hulme (13 goals, 14 assists) broke her collarbone in a collision with a Wheelersburg player in a 2-1 overtime win in a regional semifinal.
“There’s always a purpose in those types of things, even though it was hard to see at first,” said Meadows, who had 16 goals and eight assists last season. “It gave our team perspective and taught us not to take things for granted. It brought us closer together. We still played well even when the younger players had to step in.”
That experience could pay off for the Warriors, who seek their third consecutive Central Buckeye League crown. Last year, Worthington Christian only gave up two goals and outscored their CBL opponents 35-2 as it steamrolled its way to an 8-0 record in league play. Finishing behind the Warriors were Bexley (6-1-1), Columbus Academy (6-2), Buckeye Valley (5-3), and Grandview (4-2-2).
Worthington Christian returns 10 seniors, including Meadows and defenders Britton Kibbey, both of whom were first-team all-CBL, and midfielder Elle Skidmore (two goals, eight assists) and defender Lily Thompson, both of whom earned second-team all-league honors. Meadows also earned first-team all-district honors.
While the Warriors graduated Kauffman and Yoder and goalkeeper Jayden Stults, who transferred to Delaware Hayes, Fields anticipated that the defense would rely on its experienced returnees. Seniors Kibbey, Thompson, Katie Barron, and Sophia Valente return to a defense that allowed 1.04 goals a game with 12 shutouts last year. Senior Olivia Robson, who played keeper for Worthington Christian two years ago but focused on playing club soccer last fall, will take over for Stults. At the same time, juniors Bright Ashu and Katilin Shinlever will serve as backups.
“We have high expectations that they will communicate well with each other,” Fields said. “Those in the back can see the whole field much easier to help direct players and let them know what is coming their way.”
Offensively, Worthington Christian averaged 2.7 goals a game last year and outscored opponents 24-8 in their seven-game tournament run. Fields said he will rotate many players between the forward and midfield spots this season. Senior Lauren Fife and sophomores Rylan Roads, an honorable mention all-CBL last year, Faith Ashu, and Lanie Meadows will see time as forwards. Fields is also excited about adding senior Megan Smolenski as a potential scoring threat. Joining Anna Meadows in the midfield are seniors Skidmore, who is being moved to the center midfielder position, and Ava Sutton, and junior Peyton Blary, who will float between the midfield and defense.
Fields also includes freshmen Evie Hoyt (d), Mari Lehman (M), and Georgia Palmer (M) in the lineup and said other players might move up as the season progresses.
Fields said remembering who his team is playing for will be much more important than knowing what position the players will play.
“What will make this season a success is understanding that they honor God through their actions as servant leaders,” he said. “We’ve been talking about the mindset Christ modeled for us. I expect our team to represent Christ first through their attitudes, secondly through their actions, and thirdly in their words.
“They need to come with the attitude of Christ and look for ways to serve. If the attitude is correct, they’ll have good actions. And if they have good actions, good words will follow. That will lead us to better connections and unity with each other. If they have fun, they will play better, be more relaxed, and support their teammates. And that’s what is going to make this a successful season.”