Young Panthers Looking Strong Again This Year

It doesn’t matter which Greater Spokane League soccer coach you talk to.

They all will tell you about Mead.

The Panthers finished second in state 4A last fall and have a large crop of players returning. They are the 12-time defending league champions.

But the coaches also will tell you how Ferris and University will challenge for the title this year.

After that, they say, it’s wide open.

Shadle Park begins the year under new coach Jay Frank, who is interested in establishing a soccer tradition.

Mt. Spokane no longer is a rookie team, and North Central and Rogers also are more experienced.

Mead will be strong again

Though seven starters graduated, there’s still plenty of experience among this bunch.

Second-year coach Travis Hanson returns 10 letter winners, six of whom were starters on the ‘97 squad. Two sophomores and a junior who played with the varsity in postseason last year also are back.

“I know they have high expectations,” Hanson said. “We’re going to strive for getting back to the state tournament. But it’s going to take a lot of hard work, considering how young we are.”

Mead has just five seniors. They are forward Lyndsay Drollinger, midfielders Courtney Taylor and Carolyn Moore, and defenders Morgan Bennett and Meghan Cooney.

Sophomore Angie Shea is back at goalkeeper and sophomore Janie Strait returns at defender.

Holly Ready, a sophomore forward, is injured and out indefinitely.

“Although we did graduate a good core, we have a good young group coming back,” Hanson said.

Shadle’s roster slim

Frank has just 31 players turning out and he’s carrying 14 on varsity for now.

“It’s going to be a lonely bench,” the coach said, noting he likely will bring one more player up to varsity.

This is Frank’s second high school head coaching job. He spent three years directing Manchester High in Connecticut, but previously was in Ketchikan, Alaska, coaching soccer for the parks and recreation department.

Six starters are back for Frank’s Highlanders, who were 3-6 in league last year for seventh place. Three are seniors - forward Kristen Hawley, midfielder Jamie Winchell and defender Rachele Hayes.

They are joined by juniors Rachel Jones, a forward, and Stephanie Reynolds and Quinn Thornsberry, both midfielders.

Rounding out the roster are junior forward Jamie Vanos, junior midfielder Natalie Steele, junior goalie/defender Alexis Thomas, sophomore midfielders Elyse Penick and Stephanie Benesch, sophomore forward Tasha Haroldson and sophomore defender Brooke Becker.

Frank said he will emphasize defense and ball control this fall.

“I’m impressed with their desire to work hard,” he said. “There is a commitment to win. The real question is going to be if we get a consistent and honest effort. They’re athletic and skilled enough to have a winning program.

“There hasn’t been a tradition of (winning), but we’re going to try to establish that.”

Mt. Spokane begins second season

Wildcats coach Craig Busch said he hopes this year will run a little more smoothly for his team.

Since Mt. Spokane didn’t have a graduating class this spring, Busch has everybody back.

Three seniors return as starters. They are midfielders Bree Klobucher and Summer Gibbs, and defender Ashley Anderson.

Junior returners include defenders Seneca Shank, Char McGee and Cassie Kitchen, goalie Elina Gee and midfielder Kelly Dickinson.

Junior forward Amy Evans was playing with the starting squad last year before she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee and sat out the season. Busch said he’s excited to have Evans back in the lineup.

“We overcame some pretty big obstacles last year,” said Busch, whose team won only three games and was plagued by injury.

Three freshmen started last year, including Laurel Jones, who scored nine goals. The other two are defender Tracy Cathey and midfielder Landis Welbourn.

“We’re going to have to rely on some freshmen and sophomores who are inexperienced to carry the load,” Busch said.

Busch coached junior varsity at Mead before going to Mt. Spokane, so he already had worked with a number of his current athletes.

The Wildcats have added a junior varsity program for ‘98.

G-Prep has six starters back

The Bullpups lost their leading scorer and nine others to graduation, but they have plenty of players who can pick up the load on offense, said coach Christian Birrer.

Birrer, entering his sixth season, has six starters back from his team that finished fifth in league a year ago.

Senior Allyson Roberts, a second-team all-league choice in 1997, begins her second season as starting sweeper and also is one of the team’s captains.

Twins Shaynie and Deidre Leonard are senior midfielders. Shaynie Leonard, who also plays goalie, is a returning starter and her sister has varsity experience, too.

Another sister tandem is senior defender Renee Umbdenstock and sophomore forward Lauren Umbdenstock. Both started last season.

Senior midfielder Tara Hertel and sophomore forward Laura Oliva round out Prep’s list of returning starters.

Seniors Anna Carroll and Stephanie DeLeo are returning letter winners.

“We’re looking to be half underclassmen and half upperclassmen,” said Birrer. “Our strength is our offense. We have a lot of players who can score.”

Nine senior starters return at Rogers

The Pirates finished last in the GSL in ‘97, but coach Chris Sande has nine senior starters back.

Twin forwards Kara and Kristi Hines will lead the offense. Midfielders are Amber Johnson, Mary Karsen and Sandra Kanan. Goalie Tiffany Brus and defenders Paula Zammit and Tricha Cumpton will man the backfield.

“We have an excellent core of senior girls who have been with me for four years,” said Sande, who begins his sixth year as coach. “That’s going to help out in terms of experience.”

The lone junior returning starter is first-team all-league pick Holly Rushing. Rushing, one of the team’s captains, is a defender who scored four goals last season.

Sophomore defender Michelle Bourcy is another returning starter.

North Central is young

The majority of the Indians players are freshmen and sophomores, but coach Tim Cox says his squad isn’t totally inexperienced.

Twelve starters are back, seven of whom are sophomores.

The team’s three seniors are midfielders Kristin Walters and Amanda Chase and defender Sarah Parrish. Juniors are defender Kati Newland and defender/goalie Jennifer Weber.

Weber, a first-team all-league choice at goalie last season, is out for now as she recovers from a knee injury.

Sophomore returners are forwards Carly Clark and Shawna Christian, midfielders Molly Turner, Lindsey Snider and Tia Teuben, defender Kerrie Harrison and goalie Kim Bowser.

Four freshmen round out the roster. They are midfielders Sarah Lucke, Jana Laslo and Jammie Bertholf and defender Cassandra Chase.

“The fact that we almost tripled our turnout from last year and have a little more experienced team than last year will hopefully make us more competitive,” Cox said.