By Nolan Epstein/For OzarksSportsZone.com
It’s an exciting time to be a Republic girls’ soccer player, fan, or coach, for that matter.
Since taking the reigns of the program just one year ago, Kevin Hauck has continued the winning tradition at Republic – leading the Lady Tigers to a 16-8 record last spring and notching the first district championship for the team since 2013, when it was participating in Class 2 play.
Now, the Lady Tigers are once again moving up to a new class, and the timing seems to be right on point.
Being bumped up to Class 4 means the road to success gets a little bit tougher for Hauck and Republic this season as the club will share a district with Branson, Nixa and Joplin. The Lady Tigers will also be tested early in the season with matchups against two district champs from last season in Rolla and Rogersville.
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“We’ll face some good challenges with a hard schedule that will hopefully prepare us for districts,” said Hauck. “I feel confident with this team, and know we have a lot of potential that I’m excited for us to hit this year and get into our groove.”
Three key pieces will be gone from this edition’s team as forward/midfielder Emily Griffith, midfielder Charlotte Mikkelson and defender Jade Sawyer have graduated. The trio combined for 9 goals and 10 assists a season ago.
“These girls contributed a lot for us last year,” Hauck said. “They may not have outstanding stats, but they did the little things that a team needs to win.”
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Republic does bring back some significant firepower, however, as the offensive charge will be led by senior Emily Jordan, who racked up Honorable Mention All-State, 1st Team All-Conference and 1st Team All-District honors, just to name a few. During her junior campaign, Jordan notched 35 goals and added 15 assists. She’s committed to play at John Brown University.
Watch for Jordan to reach the 100-goal mark for her career this spring and give former striker Sara Marcotte a run for her single-season scoring record at Republic (40). Jordan is also currently tied for the program record for assists (49).
If Jordan isn’t doing the scoring, there’s a good chance sophomore Madi Mitchell will be taking her place. Mitchell was second in goals scored last season (10) and chipped in 7 assists. Fellow sophomore Anna Jones (7 goals, 8 assists in 2016) will also be a vital part of the offense for Republic.
Defensive duties will again be handed to sophomore Grace Lightfoot (1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-District and All-Region), senior Lauryl Hyde (2nd Team All-District) and senior Danielle Beck (Honorable Mention All-District).
“I’m excited about our experience that we bring back,” said Hauck. “We had a lot of youth last year on our team and bringing them back this year really excites me to see how much more we can grow as a team. Mixing that experience in with some of the youth we have coming out for the team will be a great mixture.”
The youth core that Hauck sees on his squad is one of the most exciting aspects of this season. Some of those talented, but less experienced players will challenge some of the more seasoned players for playing time – likely resulting in higher competition between players throughout the roster.
“I believe we’ll have good competition for starting spots and varsity spots this year,” Hauck added. “It will make players work and if they don’t work, they will lose out on getting a spot. Having this type of competition will push our players to become better, and that makes me excited.”
The Lady Tigers start the 2017 season on March 21 at Rolla.
