CRESTON GIRLS SOCCER STEPPING FORWARD

CNA photo by LARRY PETERSON A leg up: Defender Kristin Shaw (left) works on ball skills with midfielder Morgan Evans during a recent Creston soccer practice. The Panthers open the season Tuesday at conference rival Harlan.

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It’s an ambitious goal, considering that Creston has never defeated a Hawkeye 10 opponent in girls soccer. But second-year coach Shawn Miller says it’s realistic target. “Our goal is to finish fourth in the conference,” Miller said, preparing his team for Tuesday’s season opener at 2007 conference runner-up Harlan. “We could easily finish fifth, sixth or seventh, too. (Seven conference schools participate in soccer.) We have never won a conference game. But realistically, we can compete with several teams this year. Our schedule is very tough early with the strong teams, so our record coming out of those games will not be indicative of our potential.” Creston, coming off a 1-12 season and 0-6 in the first year of league play, follows the Harlan trip with a home match April 3 against another team with double-digit wins last year, Nodaway Valley/A-C/WCV. The Panthers then travel to Carroll to take on a Kuemper team with a strong junior class. In the following two weeks, a trip to Chariton April 15 is sandwiched by matches against 15th-ranked Denison-Schleswig and No. 13 Lewis Central. “The rest of the way out we feel we can compete,” Miller said. An addition to this year’s schedule is Creston’s first invitational tournament on May 3. The round-robin format will allow Centerville, PCM, Riverside Oakland and Creston to play three matches in one day. None of those is among the state elite programs like previous trips to Dallas Center-Grimes and Bondurant-Farrar. “We wanted to have a tournament with teams that are essentially on the same kind of youthful stage in their program,” Miller said. “It allows us to have a competitive tournament. We can have a 15-game regular season instead of 12, since it counts as just one competition date.” The Panthers have nine home matches and six away. New assistant Assistant coach is Scott Bash of East Union, who brings soccer experience and five team members from the sharing agreement with East Union. “Alex Pettit has come over to play the last two years for the boys team, but now we’re getting involvement on the girls team,” Miller said. “It helps our depth and allows us to play a JV schedule, because it gets us up to 25 kids.” Bash is a former all-conference soccer player at West Central Valley. He also played and coach at Dana College after starting his career at North Iowa Area Community College. “It really helps to have that extra coach,” Miller said. “He’s working mainly with the forwards and I’m working with the defense on out.” Also, boys assistant Steve Bossenberger works with goalkeepers on both squads. Longtime soccer coach Jim Hyde is still involved in the program, particularly in field preparation. Miller has six seniors to replace from last year, and most were starters for three or four years. The group includes Kim McFee, who was Hawkeye 10 honorable mention with five goals and one assist. Others were Nicole Stoll, Elizabeth Walsh, Ellen Walker, Erica Price and Jessica Riley. Top returnees Leading scorer Jovana Hernandez, with five goals and four assists, returns as a senior along with Anna Clark, who will move to a defensive position this year. Both received conference honorable mention as juniors. Junior letterwinners include Morgan Evans, Kristin Shaw and Diane Walsh. Shaw is slated for defensive duty, Walsh will hold an outside mid position, while Evans takes on a primary role as a center midfielder with speed and foot skills, Miller said. Two other speedsters, Taylor Geary and Kierra Smith, are from the sophomore class with Geary expected to be a top forward along with Hernandez. Smith moves from goalkeeper to outside midfield. “Kierra needs to be on the field with her athletic ability,” Smith said. “She can run all day.” Rachel Lange and Allison Walker are other sophomore letterwinners expected to help Shaw in the back defensive line. Slated for duty in the net this year are freshman Kara Anderson and sophomore Dani Paup, along with versatile freshman Sarah Jennett. “Kara’s sister (Kelli) was a four-year varsity goaltender and Kara seems to have a real good understanding of the game for a freshman,” Miller said. “Dani got some experience, and Sarah is kind of a jack of all trades for us.” The varsity defense could get help from freshman Taylor Hance and Paup. Clark and freshman Krystal Daggett could be in the next line of defense to transition to the midfield. East Union freshman Cassi Songer has shown the ability to help either as a forward or midfielder. Other midfield and defender candidates from the experienced junior class are Alyssa Goodson, Alizabeth Gates, Ayla Peppmeier and EU’s Angel Daub. One of the East Union players, Morgan Thompson, is slowed by a hip injury. Dual sports Miller has had to adjust practice times to accommodate the eight team members involved in other spring sports, including the EU players on the Eagle track squad. “We moved back our starting time,” Miller said. “Then softball starts on May 5 this year, when we still have six games left. It’s helped that I’ve been with the kids a year now, so the terminology is familiar and I know their strengths and weaknesses a little better.” Two rule changes this year prohibit eighth-graders from practicing and playing in matches when school is dismissed for the summer break; and the overtime shootout now is aligned with the boys rule. “We used to get a rolling start with 10 seconds to score, even by kicking a rebound,” Miller said. “Now the ball is placed on the mark and you have one kick.” CRESTON GIRLS SOCCER Roster (* — Letterwinner) Seniors — *Anna Clark, *Jovana Hernandez. Juniors — *Morgan Evans, Alizabeth Gates, Alyssa Goodson, Ayla Peppmeier, *Kristin Shaw, Angel Daub (EU), *Diane Walsh. Sophomores — *Taylor Geary, *Rachel Lange, Frances Myers, Rachel Parham (EU), Dani Paup, Holly Ross (EU), *Kierra Smith, Morgan Thompson (EU), *Allison Walker, Sydney White. Freshmen — Kara Anderson, Krystal Daggett, Amber Davison, Taylor Hance, Sarah Jennett, Cassi Songer (EU). Manager — T’Lee Ray. Schedule April 1 — at Harlan, 5 p.m. April 3 — Nodaway Valley, 5 p.m. April 8 — at Carroll Kuemper, 5 p.m. April 10 — Denison-Schleswig, 5 p.m. April 15 — at Chariton, 5:30 p.m. April 22 — at Lewis Central, 4:30 p.m. April 28 — Chariton, 5 p.m. May 3 — Panther Invitational (Centerville, PCM, Riverside) May 6 — at Atlantic, 5 p.m. May 8 — Glenwood, 5 p.m. May 13 — Winterset, 5 p.m. May 20 — Carlisle, 5 p.m. May 22 — at Perry, 5:30 p.m. May 29 — District, TBA —————— Larry Peterson can be reached at 782-2141, ext. 232 or lpeterson@crestonnews.com