Season preview 2024: Girls' soccer

The 2024 girls soccer season officially kicked off this week in exciting fashion. Local teams have different expectations: some aiming for long playoff runs, others looking to build a foundation for years to come.

Apollo: The E-Gals have lost seven senior players from last year's squad due to graduation and will have a significantly younger team in 2024. They will look to play a possession-oriented style while also setting the tempo.

“We have an experienced defense and a combination of experience and youthful energy on offense,” said head coach Zach Akin.

Jada Pollard, Kara Green, Eh Htoo Say and Lilli Ruth all return and are joined by new freshmen Millie Hill and Cing Kiim.

“Our goal this season is to continue to develop our style of play throughout the year and continue to be more competitive against opponents at the district and regional level,” Akin said.

Daviess County: The Lady Panthers will play a high-pressure style with solid defense. They will return their top five scorers from last year: Mary Evelyn Wiman, Kate McCain, Lillian Coombs, Bailey Brown and Amal Kalik.

Kaelin Labhart will start in goal and has been called one of the best goalies in the region by head coach David Sandifer. In front of her and anchoring the defense are Molly Fuqua, Mackenzie Elliott, Anslie Dant, Maddy Purcell and Molly Floyd. Averie Owen, Caler Dah and Emma Schmitt are expected to make big contributions as substitutes.

“We want to put ourselves in a position where we can compete for the district and regional championship,” Sandifer said. “But we play in a good district and a good region, so we have to approach each game with focus.”

Owensboro: Five seniors return this year, with seniors Georgia Warren, Hailey Westerfield and Karleigh Brown solidifying the back line. Surrounding them is a wealth of young talent, including sophomore midfielder Ella Hall and the trio of Lily Nieman, Amelia Calhoun and Lily Paige. Freshman Hayley Sikes has already been named the team's starting goalkeeper.

“I want to see a significant improvement from last season, from team chemistry to our game results,” said head coach Sarah Poole. “This is a fun group of girls who aren't afraid to work hard. One of our goals is to make it to regionals this season, which hasn't happened since 2013.”

Owensboro Catholic: Led by sophomores Ireland Quinn and Meredith Traylor, the Lady Aces will look to control possession through the middle and pass it to the wings.

Some names to keep an eye on are Jenna Brey, Scarlett Isenbarger and Annabelle Hancock. Although they are all in 8th grade, head coach Meg Patton has praised the trio for their ability to find open spaces, throw incredible passes and shoot on goal.

“Some of my goals for this season are for the girls to play hard, play smart and have fun,” Patton said. “We're lucky to even have a varsity team this year and I couldn't be happier for the girls. We're really going to work on keeping the ball, shaping our defense and finding quick through balls for our offense.”