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Chillicothe High School's soccer Lady Hornets will begin their third season of competition Monday – if the weather allows – with a third different head coach and viable hope of having their first winning season.
Solidly competitive for a new program at 6-9 under Jeff Wolfe in 2007, the Lady Hornets booters came ever so close to completing year No. 2 over .500 under Margie Lowe. Winning four times by 2-1 scores and not losing any one-goal matches, the 2008 club finished dead even in the won-lost column, 8-8, after drawing a tough first-round opponent in the opening round of the district tournament.
As they enter their third campaign, starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at St. Joseph: Lafayette, Bill Allison adds overseeing the girls' team to the duties he's had running the boys' program in its first two years.
He inherits a team which graduated only three seniors last spring – one of whom played sparingly – and a roster which includes last year's top two scorers who also were all-district tournament first team and two others who had some level of postseason honors.
"We have several returning players," Allison says of his first CHS girls' team, "and look forward to the experience of several of them helping the team as a whole with a total positive team atmosphere."
The coach noted that having juniors Madeline and Meredith Brick and Rochelle Gillilan and senior Ellyn Turner, among others, back "will help the learning experience."
Forwards Gillilan and Ma. Brick were 1-2 in goal-scoring a year ago and figure to be threats to match or exceed their totals of 2008.
Also back is midfielder Turner, who found the net once a year ago and was given honorable mention on the all-district tourney team.
She will be counted upon to help handle more of the burden in the middle of the pitch if the switch of 2008 second-team all-Midland Empire Conference midfielder Me. Brick to goalkeeper remains in place.
A new ’keeper is needed because Amanda Ireland, who guarded the net almost exclusively for CHS in its first two years, was one of the 2008 graduates. Although the Lady Hornets played only one game in last year's district tournament, Ireland was impressive enough in it to gain honorable mention on the all-tourney team.
The other key loss through graduation was Mallory Lowe, a second-team all-district tourney defender and honorable mention on the all-MEC squad.
She was the guiding force and steadying force on the back line for Chillicothe a year ago and probably is the biggest challenge to replace.
Allison and assistant Lance Harvey, who worked with him with the boys last fall, have 11 full letterwinners and one provisional lettergirl from 2008's squad to mold.
Among the 11 are four two-year letterwinners – Kendra Ballantyne, Annie Steely, Gillilan, and the two Bricks. Those who also lettered last year who are back in 2009 are Kati Jo Ross, Libby Kline, Jordan Gardner, Lacey Nibarger, Brooke Westcott, and Turner.
Overall, the head coach reports, "We have 26 girls out and they are very eager to listen and learn."
With yet another new head coach, learning again will be a necessity for the Lady Hornets, as they adapt to the style Allison teaches.
"We have stressed constant (player) movement with and without the ball, the importance of winning every (contested) ball, and that the 'first touch' is still the No. 1 factor in the game," Allison reports.
"We coach them to always be thinking of what they can do at any given time they receive the ball. Don't wait until it is there."
Chillicothe High School's soccer Lady Hornets will begin their third season of competition Monday – if the weather allows – with a third different head coach and viable hope of having their first winning season.
Solidly competitive for a new program at 6-9 under Jeff Wolfe in 2007, the Lady Hornets booters came ever so close to completing year No. 2 over .500 under Margie Lowe. Winning four times by 2-1 scores and not losing any one-goal matches, the 2008 club finished dead even in the won-lost column, 8-8, after drawing a tough first-round opponent in the opening round of the district tournament.
As they enter their third campaign, starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at St. Joseph: Lafayette, Bill Allison adds overseeing the girls' team to the duties he's had running the boys' program in its first two years.
He inherits a team which graduated only three seniors last spring – one of whom played sparingly – and a roster which includes last year's top two scorers who also were all-district tournament first team and two others who had some level of postseason honors.
"We have several returning players," Allison says of his first CHS girls' team, "and look forward to the experience of several of them helping the team as a whole with a total positive team atmosphere."
The coach noted that having juniors Madeline and Meredith Brick and Rochelle Gillilan and senior Ellyn Turner, among others, back "will help the learning experience."
Forwards Gillilan and Ma. Brick were 1-2 in goal-scoring a year ago and figure to be threats to match or exceed their totals of 2008.
Also back is midfielder Turner, who found the net once a year ago and was given honorable mention on the all-district tourney team.
She will be counted upon to help handle more of the burden in the middle of the pitch if the switch of 2008 second-team all-Midland Empire Conference midfielder Me. Brick to goalkeeper remains in place.
A new ’keeper is needed because Amanda Ireland, who guarded the net almost exclusively for CHS in its first two years, was one of the 2008 graduates. Although the Lady Hornets played only one game in last year's district tournament, Ireland was impressive enough in it to gain honorable mention on the all-tourney team.
The other key loss through graduation was Mallory Lowe, a second-team all-district tourney defender and honorable mention on the all-MEC squad.
She was the guiding force and steadying force on the back line for Chillicothe a year ago and probably is the biggest challenge to replace.
Allison and assistant Lance Harvey, who worked with him with the boys last fall, have 11 full letterwinners and one provisional lettergirl from 2008's squad to mold.
Among the 11 are four two-year letterwinners – Kendra Ballantyne, Annie Steely, Gillilan, and the two Bricks. Those who also lettered last year who are back in 2009 are Kati Jo Ross, Libby Kline, Jordan Gardner, Lacey Nibarger, Brooke Westcott, and Turner.
Overall, the head coach reports, "We have 26 girls out and they are very eager to listen and learn."
With yet another new head coach, learning again will be a necessity for the Lady Hornets, as they adapt to the style Allison teaches.
"We have stressed constant (player) movement with and without the ball, the importance of winning every (contested) ball, and that the 'first touch' is still the No. 1 factor in the game," Allison reports.
"We coach them to always be thinking of what they can do at any given time they receive the ball. Don't wait until it is there."
