stillwatergazette . com Stillwater Ponies Fall Sports Preview • Friday , September 6 , 2024 Page 13
GIRLS SOCCER Strong returning cast paves the way for Stillwater
Head coach — Mike Huber ( 13th year ). Assistant coaches — Dusty Dennis and Ricky Michel . Last season — 12-4-2 ( 6-2-1 SEC ,
3rd place ). 2024 captains — Maddie Bolz , Rylee
Lawrence and Lauren Willhaus .
Who ’ s gone — All-State performer and Ms . Soccer finalist Brooke Nelson is the biggest departure from a year ago for the Stillwater girls soccer team , but the Ponies will also miss defender Grace Schwoch .
Both players received allconference honors and also contributed to Stillwater ’ s most recent state championship in 2021 . Nelson , a University of South Dakota recruit , delivered 11 goals and a team-high 14 assists a year ago when she scored at least one point in 14 of the team ’ s 18 games .
Schwoch is playing at Bemidji State University this fall after recording five goals and two assists last season .
Who ’ s back — Leading scorer Rylee Lawrence , a junior , received All-SEC honors a year ago after supplying a team-leading 13 goals to go along with nine assists . She joins seniors Maddie Bolz and Lauren Willhaus in serving as captains for a team that lists 17 juniors on the roster .
Junior forward Alayna Muths ranked among team leaders with 10 goals a year ago and joined midfielder Marisa Koehn in earning honorable mention all-conference recognition .
Stillwater features experience in the back with goalkeepers Reese Elzen and Parker Reardon back after splitting those duties each of the past two seasons .
Elzen was an all-conference selection . Juniors Savannah Backberg , Bianca Eide and Peyton Surgenor help anchor things defensively while midfielder Izzy de St . Aubin is also expected to contribute after notching two goals and six assists a year ago .
Seniors for the Stillwater girls soccer team include , from left , Maddie Bolz , Emma Buchkoski , Lauren Willhaus and Katie Peterson .
Others — Having such a strong returning cast of players doesn ’ t leave many openings , but the Ponies have strong depth and plenty of competition for playing time .
Juniors Sydney Grandt and Jenna Kurth are among those expected to make an impact this season . Many of this year ’ s juniors contributed as ninth-graders , but Stillwater also features an eighth-grader on this year ’ s roster in Lilli Eggum .
“ I ’ m entering my 26th year of coaching high school soccer — 13 at Stillwater — and this is the first time that we have ever taken an eighth-grader on the team ,” Ponies coach Mike Huber said .
Conference — Stillwater ( 6- 2-1 ) tied East Ridge ( 6-2-1 ) for third place behind Woodbury ( 8-0-1 ) and White Bear Lake ( 8- 1-0 ) in the Suburban East Conference standings a year ago . It ended a three-year run atop the standings for the Ponies .
Those four teams are expected to be strong again and each are ranked among the top nine in the Class AAA state coaches poll , with the Ponies and Royals listed third and fourth .
“ I think we should be right near the top ,” Huber said .
Section — The leading contenders in the SEC are also expected to lead the charge in Section 4AAA . The Ponies lost to eventual state qualifier White Bear Lake in the semifinals a year ago to end a run of five straight section titles . There are only seven teams in the section , so earning the top seed also provides a first-round bye .
“ It ’ s pretty much the same ( contenders ) as the conference ,” Huber said .
Outlook — Stillwater advanced to the state semifinals two years ago and many of those same players are still around with similarly high aspirations . The Ponies recorded 13 shutouts last season , but also surrendered 11 goals combined in three regular season losses to Edina , Woodbury and White Bear Lake . The Ponies should be well tested thanks to a grueling regular season schedule .
“ We will need to be stronger defensively , especially in the middle of the field ,” Huber said .
“ The other area we need to better is just being more of a physical presence and not getting pushed around .
“ We have two of our top three scorers back , so we expect to able to score goals . We have two very good goalkeepers entering their third year on the varsity . Our depth this year is probably one of our greatest assets . There are so many girls that can compete in different ways , so if someone is having an off day , there is someone who can step right in and be successful .”
Quotable — “ We expect to be in the running for a conference title , section championship , and state championship ,” Huber
See Girls soccer , Page 14