After posting the best season in school history a year ago after finishing with a 12-13 record, Branson has already started this season off with a bang by winning the Fair Grove Tournament on Saturday for the second consecutive season. Last year’s Fair Grove tourney title marked the first tournament championship in program history.
“I was very pleased with our season last year, accomplishing a lot of things our soccer program had never done before,” said third-year head coach Brandon Scott. “We accomplished all of this last year while playing a very young lineup. We competed most of the year with underclassmen who are returning this year.”
Branson opened the season Friday night with a pair of impressive victories in less than ideal conditions, as the Lady Pirates defeated Marshfield 2-0 and Monett 1-0 on a cold, windy and rainy Fair Grove night. The Lady Pirates followed that up with a 1-0 win over Laquey to capture the tournament title.
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The Lady Pirates have had to adjust to the loss of five departed seniors, including the program’s all-time leading scorer in Hailey Lacroix, a 1st-Team All-Conference and All-District honoree who also was named to the All-Midwest Region team.
“We graduated five seniors last year, and one of which (Hailey Lacroix) holds the school scoring record, so that will be a big hole to fill with our younger players,” said Scott. “The other four seniors were all defenders, which will cause some reshuffling and in the back line replacing those players.”
Key returnees this season include a couple of talented sophomores in McKenzie Duncan and Lauren Garrison, both of whom were named 2nd-Team All-Conference a year ago. Duncan, who scored 17 goals and added 14 assists as a freshman, also garnered 1st-Team All-District honors.
Garrison, the Lady Pirates’ goalkeeper, was named to the 2nd-Team after setting the school record for saves and shutouts as a freshman. Senior Brooklynn Stoner, who scored five goals and added six assists a year ago, is also back after a 2nd-Team All-Conference performance last season. Other key returnees include juniors Maggie Lemley and Sara McDowell.
“We are very excited about the upcoming season and our opportunities,” said Scott. “We are returning about 15 players who played a lot of varsity time last year, so our experience will play to our favor. We know what it takes to compete in the area at a high level now. The keys to our success will be trusting in each other and believing in ourselves.”
Branson, which competes in the rugged COC-Large, is still seeking its first district win in program history, which the Lady Pirates hope comes this spring. A loaded schedule should help prepare the team for Class 3 District 11 action, which includes Hillcrest, Republic and Willard.
“Our conference is a very tough one to play in,” said Scott. “Every night you have to go out and compete, so it’s hard to predict. There are no let-ups in our conference in terms of competition, so we approach it one game at a time and let the rest take care of itself.
"We like our (district) chances this year, going back into the same district now for the second year and returning a lot of players that played in it last year. Our school is seeking its first win in a district tournament game and we believe that is attainable this year for our team.”
While the schedule is loaded with several key games, an Apr. 5 trip to Willard and a May 4 home game against Republic carry significant conference and district implications.
“We are looking forward to a great season and what things our girls are going to accomplish,” said Scott. “Being such a young team, they have really been inspired to put the work in in the offseason and it has paid off. We are taking the season one game at a time and will do our best to compete at a high level every night.”
