NEW PALESTINE — A mix of returning players, new senior leaders, and incoming freshmen will help New Palestine look to continue its winning ways.
With the loss of 11 seniors, though, that’ll be easier said than done for the Dragons girls soccer team.
“This is the first time in the five years that I’ve been at New Pal where I feel it’s almost like a whole new team. The leadership from this team, though, is amazing,” head coach Erin Clark said. “It’s the first year where I don’t know what to expect at the start of the season, but we’re expecting to still put up some wins.”
Seven of the 11 seniors that the Dragons lost appeared in over 10 games. Anna Luker was a threat offensively, finishing second on the team in both goals (8) and assists (6), and goalkeeper Grace Hasenkamp helped limit opposing teams while in net.
While the Dragons did lose key pieces, they also bring back some key contributors from last season.
“Any time you lose 11 seniors, the next year is quite different. Luckily, we do have some returning players, so that’ll be key because of how many young players we have as well,” Clark said. “Having those returning players with varsity starts under their belts will be huge for us.”
Leading scorer Tylar Whitaker is back for her junior season and looks to lead the Dragons offensively once again. Last season, she finished with 11 goals and seven assists.
This year, Clark expects more of the same from her offensive leader.
“For the past few years now, she has been one of our hardest-working players and one of our biggest scoring threats. She plays all spring and summer long, so we’ve seen a ton of growth from her,” Clark said. “We expect to definitely play off of her offensively, and we hope that she can repeat what she did last year and hopefully score even more goals.”
Senior defenders Allie Blum and Vivian Miller are the two seniors on the roster with major varsity minutes.
With a new goalie, and a much younger team than last season, the pair have stepped up as team leaders, according to Clark.
“We voted captains this week, and Viv and Allie are two of them (along with Whitaker and Abby Lambdin),” Clark said. “They are both really great leaders, and they have both been playing a lot of minutes since their freshmen years. I’m not sure if last year they ever even came out of a game.”
The pair helped the New Palestine defense allow just four multi-goal games all season long, and helped lead the team to a 10-6-1 record and a second-place finish in the Hoosier Heritage Conference. A loss to Mt. Vernon in penalty kicks saw them finish with a 6-1 record, just one game behind the Marauders.
Offensively, Blum was third on the team with seven goals last season. She added four assists.
Blum and Miller will help make the transition to a new goalkeeper easier for the team, too.
According to Clark, Ava Schroer and McKenzie Hacker are two potential options in net, but both have yet to play the position at the varsity level. Hacker played in the field for the Dragons at times last season, and Clark would like to keep her there if possible.
“Allie and Viv both play in the back and lead us from back there. That’s going to be important for us this year with our goalie graduating,” Clark said. “It’s going to be important to have leaders back there that have been there for a couple of seasons.”
Juniors Rylee Hurst and Nevaeh Gebhart are back from last year’s team. Each scored five goals.
Lambdin, Bethany Blachly and Brooke Tanksley also return with varsity experience.
Gabrielle Brown, another key young player from the 2022 squad, is out for the season with a knee injury. As a freshman she scored four goals.
Dawsyn Cooper and Hannah Sund are two freshmen that should see ample playing time.
“We have two freshmen who made the varsity team, and I’m hoping they can earn a lot of minutes. They’re young, but talented, and quick, fast players that are catching onto our system,” Clark said. “I’m hoping that as the season progresses they can earn more and more minutes.”
With a young team, the expectations are the same for Clark and the Dragons, who have had three straight 10-win seasons.
“Our expectations are always to win the conference. We have a young team, but we have a lot of hard workers and great leaders,” Clark said. “Hopefully we can really hit our stride come the beginning of October.”
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2023 New Palestine girls soccer schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 14;vs. Mooresville;5:30 p.m.
Aug. 17;at Ben Davis;5:30 p.m.
Aug. 19;at Lawrence North;10 a.m.
Aug. 21;at Westfield;5:30 p.m.
Aug. 24;vs. New Castle;6 p.m.
Aug. 26;vs. Delta;11 a.m.
Aug. 29;vs. Franklin Central;5:30 p.m.
Aug. 31;at Yorktown;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 2;vs. Shelbyville;9 a.m.
Sept. 6;at Mt. Vernon;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 11;vs. Center Grove;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 13;at Greenfield-Central;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 16;vs. Cathedral;10 a.m.
Sept. 18;vs. Franklin Community;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 20;at Pendleton Heights;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 25;at Roncalli;5:30 p.m.
