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Sports
August 17, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Farmington - Lakeville
Lakeville North looking for another smash Panther girls soccer hoping to avoid one-hit-wonder status by Andy Rogers Sun Thisweek
Photo by Andy Rogers
Lakeville North girls soccer players scrimmage against one another during practice on Tuesday. The girls retern several starters from a team that won the South Suburban Conference in 2011.
Tiger girls soccer expecting to rewrite record book Farmington has sights set on conference title, playoff win
by Andy Rogers Sun Thisweek
The Farmington girls soccer team is looking to write a new chapter in its history this season – perhaps titled “Playoff Success.” The girls have yet to win a section playoff game in school history and they have yet to finish higher than third in the Missota Conference. “At some point that is a mental hurdle as much as a physical one,” head coach Rob Carpentier said. “We have the talent, but will we have the mental strength to be successful on a whole new level?” Even as one of the youngest big-school teams in the metro, the girls have their sights set on the top of the conference with a playoff victory in mind. “Honestly, we are the pretty clear favorite in the Missota,” Carpentier said. “Chanhassen will be good and Holy Angels and Shakopee have some talent, but overall the conference is a bit down.” Northfield, last season’s conference champion, lost nine starters. There’s plenty of talent within the Tiger program. Carpentier said there were too many promising newcomers for him to name them all. The ninthgrade and B-squad teams from 2011 won their conference titles and the junior varsity finished second. The varsity squad finished with a .500 record last season and many of those same girls are back. The Tigers have 17 returning letter-winners who
started at least two games. Eight of them were consistent starters. “Even with all of those returners, they will be pushed, especially by the sophomores who were an exceptional team last season,” Carpentier said. “The program is going to be very talented, top to bottom.” Izzie Ferm and Kelli Elmer lead the defense after being named all-conference honorable mention last season. With a skillful and deep lineup, Carpentier feels the Tigers can match up with “virtually any other (Class) AA school in both areas.” “We probably will find ourselves fielding a varsity squad that is made up entirely of girls who were either Premier or (Classic 1) players for their club teams,” Carpentier said. Six seniors graduated from last year’s team, but Carpentier said he believes the Tigers have replacements ready. “We’ve gotten to a point as a program that, short of a once-in-a-generation player, we should expect to replace anyone who graduates with someone who is just as talented and driven,” Carpentier said. “We are a very deep program now and we will be for the foreseeable future.” The girls begin their regular season at Faribault on Thursday. Andy Rogers can be reached at andy.rogers@ecm-inc. com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.
After a season like the Lakeville North girls soccer team had in 2011, it’s hard for the players to not be excited to get the ball rolling again. Not only did the Panthers have perhaps their best season ever, but they also were one of the best teams in the state. The girls won the South Suburban Conference championship, found themselves ranked No. 1 in the state after winning the Section 1AA tournament, and qualified for the Class AA state tournament for just the second time. The story at state didn’t have a happy ending. The girls lost to eventual Class AA champion Wayzata in a shootout during the semifinals and eventually finished fourth. North had an 18-2-2 record, but both losses came in the state tournament. “They were disappointed,” co-head coach Bulut Ozturk said. “It’s normal. They understand we’re a newer program trying to emerge as a contender. It’s important not to be a onehit wonder. It’s important for the program to build on (last year’s success).” “It was a great learning opportunity,” defender Sammy Deutsch said. “We definitely want to get back (to play at the Metrodome) again.” The good news is that several cornerstones have laced up their shoes for another run at state, including senior captain Simone Kolander, one of the top returning players in Minnesota. “I believe this is her year,” Ozturk said. “I believe she’s going to be Miss Soccer when it’s all over.” Ozturk said the Panthers plan to maximize Kolander’s ability by not limiting her to one spot on
the field. “There’s a lot of open positions ready to be filled,” Kolander said. “Sometimes I’ll be at forward, sometimes center mid, and even defense if we need to lock it in against a real attacking team. I’m just trying to help the team. I’m up for whatever.” “She’s a complete player,” Ozturk said. Kolander led the team in goals and assists last season. “She’s involved in everything,” Ozturk said. “When you watch her play, she’ll draw three-four players to her, so it opens up everyone around her.” But many of the girls she used to pass to have since graduated. “Every other team lost good seniors,” Kolander said. “It will be different but I think we can be just as good.” This season she’s looking for attackers Alexa Trakalo and Sarah Fisco to help. Defense should be a strong point with Lauren Brownrigg, Lauren Sherry and Deutsch returning along with goalkeeper Alexis Joyce. Last season the Panthers gave up just 0.4 goals per game during the regular season. Even with a number of new starters, “we’re hoping to keep our style of play the same,” Ozturk said. “We like to maintain possession and play with a purpose before we make a goal. It’s a lot of quick passes.” Ozturk mentioned Grace Rath, Ellen Moran and Chloe Wikstrom as potential varsity players, but tryouts were ongoing this week with the coaches hoping to finalize the roster by Saturday. The final roster will be called on to protect Lakeville North’s status as one
of the teams to beat this season in the South Suburban Conference, section and state. Avoiding one-hit wonder status is important to the girls. Last year was too much fun. “We weren’t sure at the beginning of last year where we were going to place,” Trakalo said. “It never went to our head. We want to continue from what we did last year. We had a ton of new players last year, too. Now that we’ve settled in and had a chance to get to know the new coaches, we’re not nervous about it as much.” The girls hope this is just the beginning. “I want everybody to think when they play Lakeville North. I want them to be scared,” Brownrigg said. The Panthers start with a home game against Minneapolis Washburn on Friday, Aug. 24.
Boys soccer The Panthers were sixth in the South Suburban in 2011, which wasn’t indicative of how the boys played – especially early, with a conference featuring Eastview, Bloomington Jefferson and Eagan, three of the top teams in the state. The boys lost several top seniors, including goalkeeper Connor Revsbeck, defender Colten Enderson and leading scorer Tyler David. But having players graduate is nothing new. What is new is that some players, including Lakeville North’s Nickeles Kirkinni and Toby Khounviseth, are passing on high school soccer to train with the Minnesota Thunder Developmental Academy this fall. The Panthers have seen plenty of talent pass through their doors, but See soccer, 15A
Cougar girls soccer looking to improve Head coach calls it potentially best team in years
by Andy Rogers Sun Thisweek
After placing sixth in the South Suburban Conference last season, coach Dan Flood expects the Lakeville South girls soccer team to finish much higher in 2012. “This is probably the strongest team on paper we’ve had in four years,” he said. He was encouraged after the first few practices last week. “Compared to last year, really back to when (University of Minnesota player) Olivia Bagnall was a senior (in 2008 when the Cougars won the Section 1AA title), we look better at this point since when she was here,” Flood said. The Cougars are used to high expectations after making regular state tournament appearances since the school opened. Lakeville South won the state Class AA championship in 2007. The girls made state appearances in 2010 and 2008, but lost in the first round each time. The 2012 version of the Cougars want to be part of that history. “We don’t want to be that team that didn’t do well,” senior Kelly Molitor said. “We worked really hard to make this team as one. It’s almost family.” A handful of the players were on the team that won the section in 2010 and qualified for state. “We really want that feeling back again,” junior Emma Mickelson said. The team lost its top player from last year, Brianna Stelzer, to graduation, along with Hannah Brown and Lexi Bernauer.
Flood described Stelzer as a “once-in-a-blue-moon” type of player. Rachel and Emma Michelson are back, along with Mikayla Jacobson and an army of young talent, including sophomores Sarah Heintze, Sarah Beaton and Madelyne O’Reilly. Add Katie Bougie, who Flood said was like a whole new player this year, and all potential starters were either everyday players or at least got into a few games in 2011. “We’re so far ahead of where we were last year at this point,” Jacobson said. “I feel like we have a good chance to be one of the top teams in the conference.” The trouble in 2011 was scoring enough goals – Lakeville South averaged 1.9 per game. “Midfield and defense are solid, but the big difference is the forwards are going to be able to score this year,” Flood said. The biggest question on defense that allowed just 0.7 goals per game last season is selecting a goalie. “We have about four girls competing right now,” Flood said. “I feel good about them.” The season begins on Thursday, Aug. 30, with a home game against Rochester Century. The South Suburban Conference opener is Sept. 6 against Eastview. The conference appears as strong as ever with Lakeville North, last year’s conference and Section 1AA champion, returning several key players along with fellow state participants Eastview and Class AA runner-up Burnsville. “If we get some breaks
this year, I think we can get 13 or 14 wins,” Flood said.
Boys soccer Last year’s Lakeville South boys soccer team was senior-heavy, meaning several new players will be asked to step up in 2012. “So far, each player has shown an ability to learn from coaching,” coach Peter Benson said. “Once we start playing games, the concern will be whether or not the new and young players will be able to keep up with the pace of varsity play.” David Mattia (five goals, six assists last season) and Judd Goodrich (three goals, three assists) lead the team at midfield. Defenders Kees Myland (three assists) Cole Svendsen (two assists) hope to help the Cougars improve on its goal scoring average, which was 0.8 last year. Newcomers include Andrew Hill, Hector Miguel and Tommy Peterson. “Most all of our players are great at playing at least two different positions,” Benson said. “Two of our top goalies are also excellent field players. This will allow us to move players around and play each team with a unique lineup each game. This ability allows all the players to understand what’s expected of them at each position and thereby play a more freeflowing game.” Improvement is the name of the game for the Cougars, who went winless in the South Suburban Conference last year. The goals are to earn a home seed for the Section 1AA tournament and compete for the section title.
Girls tennis The Cougar tennis team is in a rebuilding season with several new faces coach John Pieri met for the first time on Monday. The girls were 4-5 in the South Suburban Conference last season, which was good enough for sixth place. Perhaps the highlight of the season was sending someone to state for the first time. Shelby Henderson and Erika Williams qualified for state in doubles and finished second in the consolation bracket. They have since graduated, but they left a sense of excitement about what’s possible heading into 2012. Morgan Pieri and Shaina Burns have returned to the tennis courts. As accomplished track and field athletes who helped Lakeville South win the state title last June, the two bring competitiveness. They have been varsity athletes since they were in eighth grade. They are joined by senior captains Kendra Kix and Kersten Schmitt, who are in their second year on the varsity team. “Our returning letterwinners are going to have to play solid tennis every match for us to compete,” John Pieri said. “We lost seven quality seniors last year. The rest of our team will be young. Time will tell with our team. “My goals for the year are to improve along the way, have lots of fun and finish in the top half of the conference.” Andy Rogers can be reached at andy.rogers@ecm-inc. com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.