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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Young CV undaunted

Two-time State 4A champion Bears have 11 underclassmen

Central Valley coach Andres Monrroy, who also coaches the CV boys in the spring, lost nine girls from 2014 to graduation. (FILE)

If the rest of the Greater Spokane League is poised for some payback against Central Valley, the Bears are still looking, well, poised. Even if most of them aren’t old enough to drive.

Winning will do that for you: The Bears have won two straight State 4A soccer titles.

“I expect that we’ll still be very competitive in the GSL,” said coach Andres Monrroy, who lost nine players to graduation and is picked to finish second this year behind Mead in what should be a wide-open race.

CV also lost two-time state player of the year Kelsey Turnbow, whose family moved to Arizona. In two seasons at CV, Turnbow scored 50 goals.

“The league is definitely going to miss Kelsey Turnbow, because she brought a lot of attention to the GSL,” said one rival coach, Katie Himmerich of Lewis and Clark.

Many of last year’s seniors went on to play collegiately.

“We replaced those seniors with freshmen,” said Monrroy, whose 19-player roster includes just eight upperclassmen.

That would qualify as a rebuilding year at almost any school except CV, which went 20-2 last year. Monrroy points out that the Bears get fresh blood every year from the strong club teams on the area.

“That makes my job easier. We just have to get these girls together to make the chemistry, that’s the expectation here,” said Monrroy.

Much of the expectation will rest on senior captains Erica Casey and Olivia Fielding. “We expect them to be the leaders,” Monrroy said. Also back are seniors Marissa Terry and Katie Van Etten.

Sophomore Kaelyn Barnes is expected to be the focal point of the attack, while freshman A.J. Crooks will start in goal. “She’s going to surprise some people,” Monrroy said.

Mead is favored to the win the league largely because of eight returning starters, including all-GSL forward Alex Chambers, midfielder Katie Crowley and defenders Molly Carpenter and Katie Anderson. The Panthers finished third in the GSL last year and knocked off CV for the district title. “That was a great experience, and that brings us a lot of confidence,” Crowley said. New goalkeeper Bailey Thompson figures to be tested when the Mead visits CV on Sept. 30.

At Gonzaga Prep, second-year coach Billy Barmes expects improvement from last year’s 8-7-2 squad, thanks to 10 returning starters. “We’re returning the core of our 2014 varsity roster, and we have some strong additions from last year’s JV squad,” Barnes said. “It should be a strong year for us.” The Bullpups are deep and talented. All-GSL defender Melissa Symmes has committed to play next year at Boise State and midfielder Larkin Russell, a newcomer at G-Prep, will go to the University of Portland. G-Prep also returns all-leaguer Darby Doyle in midfield and Zoe Boleneus in goal.

Lewis and Clark coach Katie Himmerich returns six starters and 13 lettermen from a team that finished 5-4 in the GSL and 10-7 overall. Defender Maia Angel, a four-year varsity player, was a second-team, all-league pick last year, as was forward Rebekah Reason. The Tigers also welcome back senior midfielder Sarah Curran, who suffered an ACL injury last year. A key player could be national-caliber forward Camryn Gardner, a freshman. “This is the first year where it feels like we’re pretty strong all over,” Himmerich said.

At Ferris, the most important addition may be coach Robin Crain, who has led the Saxons boys for almost two decades and is back in charge of the girls program for the first time since 2006. “We have good team speed and some very technical players,” said Crain, who was 132-60-1 in his previous stint at Ferris. The Saxons were 4-5 in the GSL and 9-5 overall last year, but have 14 upperclassmen on the roster. Senior returnees include Bria Bowton, McKenna Cutler, Abby Muelheim and Morgan Palmer. Chrissy Fitzgerald and Evan Watkins are back in goal.

University was one of the surprise teams in the GSL last year, finishing fourth (12-5, 6-3 GSL) and reaching regional play. Fifth-year coach Megan Perkins returns just five starters but counts goalkeeping and central defenders and midfielders as the Titans’ strengths. Senior Morgan Crosby, a first-team, all-GSL pick last season, is the top returning midfielder in the league. Also back is Ryann Rydeen, a second-team goalkeeper.

Likewise, Mt. Spokane shocked a few teams last year en route to a second-place finish in the GSL. “We’re building off a great 2014 campaign and we have a great senior leadership and a sense of maturity too,” said coach Ryan Campanella, who returns six starters and 10 letterwinners from a squad that went 15-4 overall and 8-1 in league. The Wildcats, who reached the 3A quarterfinals last year, are anchored at the back by all-GSL senior goalkeeper Megan Nilson and defender Brittney Sanders. The co-captains are Ashley and Brittney Sanders, both of whom have been varsity players since their freshman year.

Shadle Park returns only four starters from last year’s 6-11 team. Returning seniors include Erica Johnson, Kaelyn Baker, Karsen Hiner, Emma Grover, Ashley Rogers and Haleigh Meacham.

At North Central, second-year coach Matt Leonard returns four starters, including senior captain Jenna J ensen. The other captains are midfielder Casey Kiourkas and defender Whitney Morrow.

Great Northern League

With all 11 starters returning from a team that reached state last year, the expectations are high at East Valley.

Eighth-year coach Gabe Escobar’s team already is off to a strong start, going 2-1 against teams from the Greater Spokane League. The Knights (14-3 last year) own wins over Shadle Park (4-3) and North Central (7-0) before falling 2-1 to GSL preseason favorite Mead last weekend.

Skylar Bastin – who already has eight goals this season – and newcomer Shannon Frucci are expected to lead the Knights up front. Chelsea Love and Hannah Burland – the GNL’s most valuable defensive player last year – will anchor EV in the back.

West Valley, which edged EV by one game to win the GNL regular-season title last year, returns nine starters for 18-year head coach Shelli Totton-Peterson.

Senior returnees include keeper Rachel McGlothlen, forwards Ashley Meyer, Kiana Nagata and Rylee McConnell; and midfielders Jenna Sullens, Emily Kelly and Kelce Koschney.

Cheney hopes for improvement despite returning only three starters.

“We have lots of experience at the club level and pretty good overall speed,” said coach Nels Radtke, who regains the services of goalkeeper Nicole Rowley after she suffered a knee injury last year. Senior starters include Jasmine McCauley and Robin Eaton.