Mount Vernon girls soccer has quietly reached a new milestone.
The younger players who have been developing in the Sting soccer program for the last several years are becoming the backbone of the varsity team. Mount Vernon varsity coach Bill Lonsinger will need these girls to take the Yellow Jackets program to the next level.
“You just never know, until the start of the season if they're fully ready,” Lonsinger said. “We had a lot of girls who played JV and varsity last year. In previous years, they would have just played varsity. So, this group got a year under their belt where there wasn't high expectations and high pressure. You don't want a lot of pressure on your freshmen and sophomores while they get used to the team and used to their role on the team.”
Five years ago, Lonsinger had to rely on the best players available, including freshmen, to hold down certain positions while future talent developed in the middle school level. Six of those former freshmen, Stella Bainbridge, Lexi Rapp, Klarisa Meka, Madeline Hendrickson, Sarah Davidson and Julianna Parry, graduated last spring, leaving positions wide open all over the field.
Upfront, sophomore Laura Lonsinger (two goals and an assist in 2020) will set up senior scorers McKenna Brokaw (eight goals, 16 assists) and Sydney Lyons (10 goals, six assists).
Behind them, the Jackets will only have one more senior – Olivia Reddy (nine goals, six assists).
“I have a feeling that McKenna and Laura will feed off of each other,” Coach Lonsinger said. “Laura is not fast, but she has a touch, and I feel she and McKenna complement each other. Sydney is athletic as well. I hope that Laura possesses the ball and sets up the others to score goals.”
Reddy, a 2020 first team All-OCC player, will be the Jackets’ attacking midfielder, and she will rotate into the forward spot occasionally.
The improved midfield will also have junior Elizabeth Miller, a very good ball-handler, along with Ella Conway.
“Ella is probably our best defending midfielder,” Coach Lonsinger said. “Grace Neighbarger (a sophomore) is going to play our holding mid or defensive mid. She'll be helping out our center-backs. She's very aggressive, and she's growing as a player.”
Conway, a junior, has been thrust into the leadership role.
"McKenna, Olivia and I are trying to be good leaders for the younger ones and make sure that they have a good season," Conway said. "Our chemistry as a team and leadership, in general, will be very important this season."
The Jackets are getting more skilled players into the defensive slots, including Tiffany Kemp, who is doing an exceptional job. Ellie Jones and Chelsea Bender play center back. They will be joined by Anna Summerfield.
“Anna has played for me since she was 5 years old,” Coach Lonsinger said. “She is very skilled and can play any position but plays outside back and so does Tiffany because we need them to. If I put them upfront, they would be big goal scorers, but we would give up more goals than we scored.”
Coach Lonsinger will go into 2021 with a pair of goalkeepers: Last year’s backup Emma Phillips and Michaela Smith-Peters. The latter came from Illinois, where soccer is played in the spring. Look for them to be rotated for now.
The only other area soccer program is Highland High School. The Fighting Scots continue to slowly improve. Coach Anthony Wilson, who took over the team a few games into last season, will bring back Scots’ all-time leading scorer, senior Emma Hinkle (3rd team All-Central District). She will be joined by returning seniors Lily McElroy, Caley Evans, Audrey Arnett Tomasek, Destiny Carpenter, Jade Disbennett, Acacia Hand and Jacinta Eblin. Along with them are juniors Izzy Arnett Tomasek and Guinevere Jackson. Amarie Morgan will return as a sophomore and so will last year’s starting freshman goalkeeper Kayley Smith.
