Rutland Herald Sports Guide Fall 2018 | Page 13

Rutland Herald Fall Sports Guide 2018 13 Girls Soccer Continued from Page 12 daunting, the Chiefs do return some solid talent in senior scoring ace Paige Karl, and along with her classmates Bridgid Karl, Rachel Guerra and Reilly Merrill. Juniors Erin Otis and Madison Wilson, along with sophomores Tierney O’Brien and Mary Cameron, round out the returning players. While the roster lists only 18 players, the future looks secure with nine freshmen. “We have both experience and youthful talent,” said Hamilton. “I look forward to watching these girls play together and continue to mesh. We will continue to improve every day and make positive growth both individually and as a team.” Mill River Dave Carr saw a lot of speed walk across the stage at graduation in June. But despite Amanda Deppert and Olivia McPhee’s departure, the cupboard is hardly bare. Emerson Pomeroy returns as the only four-year starter and will see time as both a halfback and forward. “She is indefatigable, the Energizer Bunny,” Carr said of his field general. She also has that burst of speed that made McPhee and Deppert such a handful for defenders. Morgan Nemeth is the type of defender Mill River has become known for. “She is tough to get around,” Carr said. If you want to talk about toughness, all you need to know about halfback and team captain Leah Romano is that she participates in Spartan races. Think: Running through fire and carrying a barrel up a mountain. “She is addicted to Spartan races,” Carr said of his team captain. He also calls her “the ultimate team player.” Pomeroy, Nemeth and Romano are seniors. A talented junior midfield player is ROBERT LAYMAN / STAFF PHOTO Green Mountain’s Sarah Warnecke, center, advances the ball ahead of a tackle by MSJ defender Mary Babb during a 2018 game at MSJ’s Abatiell Field. Talia Hutt-Vater. Amelia Jones is a striker and a halfback, but in summer league action she also stood out as a sweeper. “She is a force to be reckoned with,” Carr said. Allison Nemeth brings versatility. “She can play everywhere,”Carr said. The Minutemen are starting over in goal with a ninth grader, but Carr has a lot of confidence in Mallori Carlson. “She is very strong, very quick and very bold,” he said. “She has got some big shoes to fill, but she can do it.” The Minutemen are looking to put together another strong campaign after going 10-4. MSJ Lori Patterson has played soccer at a high level so the new Mount St. Joseph coach knows what a soccer player looks like. And she believes she has seen some in preseason camp despite low numbers and inexperience. “We have several physically strong players with significant speed,” Patterson said. It’s a young team with five incoming freshmen. “We will rely on leadership from seniors Kristen Elliott and Tori Tracey,” she said. The standouts in the early going have been freshmen Sienna Diezel and Brooke Bishop, and sophomore Savannah Perry. The Mounties were 2-10-1 last year and still trying to make the climb back to being a perennial contender in the Marble Valley League. “There have been a lot of changes with the team the last year and we are really focused on building a strong community within our small team. The girls have all been very positive and hard working,” Patterson said. Otter Valley The Otters were 5-8-1 last fall, and new coach John White is excited about this group’s potential to improve on that mark. They served notice they have the potential to do that by defeating Green Mountain and Winooski and battling Bellows Falls and Brattleboro to scoreless ties in a recent jamboree. Felicity Drew is the lone senior and she will bring experience to the defense. Juniors are center back Julia Eastman, goalkeeper Sophie Walker, midfielders Mary Kingsley and Olivia Continued on Page 14