Girls prep soccer coaches see young talent across the Valley

PALMER — There is one constant throughout the Valley’s varsity girls soccer squads. Local teams are seeing a youth movement.

Underclassmen outnumber the upperclassmen on just about every Valley roster. Some teams are limited to just a few seniors. Wasilla only has one senior. Houston has three.

But all of the rosters also boast promising young talent. Some coaches believe if Valley squads develop that young talent and team chemistry, the Northern Lights Conference could become one big dogfight at the end the of regular season.

“It could very well be. Only time will tell,” longtime Colony head coach Lorie Miner said recently.

The Knights, a team loaded with new players, are among those working hard to build the chemistry and gain experience.

“It’s a rebuilding year for us. We have two goalkeepers that have spent a great deal of time at the (junior varsity) level. We have five returning players, and the rest are new and freshmen,” Miner said. “We’re trying to get the team concept and trust.”

Bristyl Baker and Rebecca Mackey are among Colony’s top veterans. Miner also noted the work of Alex Cameron.

Palmer, which played to a 3-3 tie with Colony last week, has also used the first weeks of the season fitting new pieces into the puzzle. Following the Colony match, Palmer head coach Harmony Chadwick said the Moose are still experimenting with players at different positions.

Palmer may have the greatest depth among seniors in the Valley, with a class that includes Elliot Perkins and goalkeeper Kat Gooden. But the Moose are also excited about the underclassmen, a group that includes sophomores Carly Venzke and Kiana Till; and freshmen Corby Brooke, Haley Hanson and Avery Parker.

Wasilla, which scored a win over Palmer in its Northern Lights Conference opener last week, is also young. But head coach Patrick O’Neill is excited about his team’s talent.

“We’ve got quick girls with skill,” O’Neill said.

Junior captain Alexa Starr is among the leaders on the Wasilla squad. O’Neill said Starr has played extremely well as an underclassman in his program, and he’s excited to see what she does as a junior. Fellow captains Ashleigh Goplen, Keanna Hawk and Teyonnah Williams are also expected to be leaders on the Wasilla squad. O’Neill said he’s also been impressed with the work of freshman Ally Hull.

There is newfound excitement within the Houston program. Last Friday, the Hawks scored a 2-0 win over Nikiski to notch their first victory of the season. Last year, Houston finished with just one win, and that came against a junior varsity opponent.

“It is a big deal,” Houston head coach Huey Farrell said after the match. “I think it’s a big confidence thing for them. As a coach, I have confidence in them. But if you don’t have that win, you don’t know how much confidence they have. They could start to doubt themselves.”

The Hawks have 22 players on the roster, the most during Farrell’s three years as the Hawks head coach.

“I’m happy with it. We can have two full teams going against each other,” he said. “We’re growing every year. I’m hoping to get up to 30 so we can have a (junior varsity team).”

The Hawks are also benefiting from the school’s new artificial turf field, which was installed prior to the start of the 2013-14 school year.

“Last year we never practiced or played on our field. Even when it melted off, there were holes and it was muddy,” Farrell said. “We couldn’t prepare it fast enough to play, so we had to move all our games to Colony. They had turf. This year it melted off three weeks ago.”

Farrell’s roster features only three seniors. But the head coach is excited about the young talent on his team.

In particular, Farrell noted freshman center midfielder Aspen Ruth.

“In my opinion. I haven’t seen a player better than her. I’ve been doing this three years,” Farrell said of his tenure with the Hawks.

Farrell also listed freshman center forward Megan Adair among the players to watch.

** Editor’s note: See an upcoming edition of the Frontiersman for the 2014 Valley boys soccer preview.