Each week the O-Zone staff ranks the top 10 area girls’ soccer teams based on dominance by Class, aka how they stack up pound-for-pound with the other schools in their respective Class. These are not head-to-head/overall rankings.
Strength of schedule and recent success are also factored into the rankings. Overall record and Class are listed in parenthesis.
It’s shaping up to be a good season for girls’ soccer in the Ozarks. We had some quality teams last year, but with a lot of our top-tier squads returning the bulk of their varsity lineup (Catholic, Ozark, Kickapoo, etc.), those teams should be even better this year. Add in some newcomers on the rise (Rogersville, Neosho) and we have, overall, more depth and competition this year.
1. Catholic (4-0-1, Class 2) – The Irish are off and rolling, having won the Rolla Tournament (tie vs. Rolla, 4-2 win over Cedar Hill Northwest, 3-0 win over St. Francis Borgia) and posting additional victories against Camdenton (5-2) and Rogersville (4-2). The Irish attack has certainly benefited from the return of former all-staters Emma Skornia (six goals) and Peyton McNabb (three goals). Junior midfielder Brinn Cooper is off to a phenomenal with a team-high eight goals. Catholic simply has too many weapons for most Class 2 teams to handle. The Irish will be a favorite to reach the Class 2 playoffs again this year, after losing to Bolivar in the district finals a year ago. Bolivar moved up to Class 3. With Pembroke Hill bumping over to a different sectional/quarterfinal bod, the likes of Southern Boone and Boonville/Pleasant Hill look to be the biggest adversaries standing in the way of Catholic and a trip to the Class 2 final four. Catholic’s outstanding non-conference schedule should have it well prepared by that point.
Upcoming games: March 31 @ Maryville, April 1 @ Barstow, April 5 @ Glendale, April 7-8 Ozark Tournament
2. Rolla (3-1-1, Class 3) – Business as usual for Rolla, which has posted four shutouts in its first five games. The Bulldogs are doing it with some new faces in the mix, most notably at goalkeeper where junior Kelly Cates has taken over for two-time all-stater Katie Hudson. After opening the season with a 1-1-1 showing in its home tournament – the exact same results from a year ago – coach Mike Howard indicated he’ll tinker with the lineup in the coming weeks.
Upcoming games: April 4 vs. Parkview, April 5 @ Helias Catholic, April 8 vs. Webster Groves
3. Ozark (4-0, Class 4) – Ozark has been using the hashtag of #unfinishedbusiness on its team Twitter account, but on the field, the Tigers are finishing a lot of scoring opportunities this spring. Ozark’s tallied 24 goals in four games, maintaining its high rate of offense from a year ago. The Tigers had 128 goals last season, the fifth-most in MSHSAA history. Don’t overlook the defense, though. Ozark had 15 shutouts in 2016 and has allowed only two goals so far this year. Ozark will get a mid-to-late season boost when goalkeeper Ally Barb returns from a knee injury. The victories so far: Joplin (9-0), Battle (8-1), Columbia Hickman (2-1) and Glendale (5-0). Jadyn Easley had two goals and Mikayla Putt had two assists in the victory over Glendale. The most notable of those four games is the 2-1 result at Hickman. Hickman beat Rock Bridge 2-1 in overtime, and Rock Bridge recently thumped Kickapoo 5-2. All four teams in Class 4 District 10 (Central, Kickapoo, Lebanon, Ozark) will likely finish the season with winning records, but Ozark looks to be the best of the bunch at the moment.
Upcoming games: March 29 @ Harrison (Ark.), March 31-April 1 Parkway College Showcase @ St. Louis, April 4 @ Webb City, April 7-8 Ozark Tournament
4. Nixa (2-0, Class 4) – This 3-4-5 group of Ozark, Nixa and Kickapoo were neck-and-neck with one another last season and I expect much of the same this spring. We’re finally relieved of the “district of death” as Nixa moves away from Kickapoo and Ozark to join Branson, Joplin and Republic in District 11. This will help us get two of our three best Class 4 teams to the playoffs instead of only one. Nixa’s dispatched Central (7-1) and Waynesville (3-0) in its only two games thus far. The four-time defending district champs are going to be very good once again. Senior Alex Johnson is working her way up Nixa’s career scoring chart. The Eagles head to St. Louis this weekend for the Parkway College Showcase.
Upcoming games: March 31 vs. Lindbergh (Parkway College Showcase), April 1 vs. Cor Jesu Academy (Parkway College Showcase), April 4 vs. Neosho, April 6 vs. St. Teresa’s Academy
5. Kickapoo (2-1, Class 4) – The Chiefs took one on the chin recently with a 5-2 loss at Rock Bridge, but were able to bounce back last night with a sound 5-0 home win over Lebanon. Four Kickapoo players scored goals against Lebanon, a sign the Chiefs will again have a balanced and diverse lineup. Kickapoo plays perhaps the best non-conference schedule of any team in the Ozarks. The Chiefs will compete in St. Louis the next two weekends.
Upcoming games: March 31 vs. Oakville (Parkway College Showcase), April 1 vs. Holt (Parkway College  Showcase), April 4 vs. Waynesville, April 7-8 @ St. Joseph Academy Classic
6. Bolivar (2-0, Class 3) – We haven’t seen much of the Liberators yet, as Bolivar has defeated Camdenton (1-0) and Monett (10-0) in its only two games. We still think the defending district champs (albeit in Class 2) are going to have a strong group this year amid a move up to Class 3. Bolivar’s the rare case of having its postseason chances improve from moving up a Class. A Catholic team at full strength would’ve posed a lot of challenges for the Liberators, but joining Carthage, Hillcrest and Willard in Class 3 District 11 boosts Bolivar’s playoff hopes. Bolivar travels to Branson this Friday then faces a big early season test on April 3 at Willard. Bolivar and Willard split a pair of regular season meetings last year, with Willard winning 2-1 on PKs in the first meeting and Bolivar winning 3-0 in the title game of the Willard Tournament.
Upcoming games: March 31 @ Branson, April 3 @ Willard, April 4 vs. Rogersville
7. Carl Junction (2-0, Class 3) – The Bulldogs are still adjusting to the winter-to-spring change, as a few of their players were on the girls’ basketball team that went to the final four. After CJ’s final basketball game on March 17, the soccer Bulldogs played their first game on March 27. CJ also had to deal with spring break practice logistics. CJ has only played two games amid its limited practice schedule, both of which were wins: 2-1 over Joplin (March 27) and 6-0 at Hillcrest (March 28). Sophomore Addie Tholen and senior Olivia Toney had the goals in CJ’s win over Joplin. CJ is replacing its top scorer from a season ago in Callie Degani (28 goals, 10 assists), who signed with Missouri Southern State. Kecia Houpt (21 goals, 9 assists) is CJ’s top returning offensive player. The Bulldogs, who have won four straight district championships, play at Neosho this Thursday in what should be a good early season test for both sides.
Upcoming games: March 30 @ Neosho, April 1 vs. Staley, April 4 vs. Springfield Central
8. Rogersville (0-2-1, Class 2) – No wins yet, but the Wildcats have had some encouraging matches: a 2-2 tie with Willard (weather-shortened), a 1-0 loss at Republic and a 4-2 home loss versus Catholic. Rogersville dealt with a slow start last year, dropping its first 11 games, but ended up winning a district championship. That’ll be a little tougher this year in a new-look district that features Catholic. The Wildcats graduated only one senior – defender Allie Pell – and should boast an improved attack in 2017.
Upcoming games: March 30 @ Parkview, April 4 @ Bolivar, April 6 vs. MV-BT Liberty
9. Neosho (3-0, Class 3) – You have to like how the Neosho offense has been performing. The Wildcats have tallied 13 goals over three goals, with wins against Hillcrest (4-0), Parkview (4-1) and Lebanon (5-2). After missing Neosho’s first two games, senior Alicia Cooper returned against Lebanon and scored three of the team’s five goals. She had 40 goals and 12 assists last season and has been a standout player since her freshman year. Ashley Talley and Laken Schnackenberg also scored against Lebanon. Neosho should field a very dangerous attack. Could this be the year the Wildcats take a jump? Neosho hasn’t had a winning season since 2009. We’ll get a better gauge on the Wildcats this Thursday, when they face Carl Junction. CJ has beaten Neosho in the district finals the past two seasons; CJ and Neosho are again in the same district (Class 3 District 12) this year.
Upcoming games: March 30 vs. Neosho, March 31-April 1 @ Parkway College Showcase, April 3 @ Joplin, April 4 @ Nixa
10. New Covenant Academy (2-0, Class 1) – This is the annual reminder I give for Class 1 soccer: We’re going to have someone, anyone, come really close to making it to the final four simply because Class 1 has one fewer round in the state playoffs (no sectionals). It happened to the Greenwood boys last fall. With Father Tolton Catholic moving up to Class 2, the odds of a local Class 1 girls’ team making it to the final four have greatly improved. The winners of District 5 – which includes defending champ Crocker – and District 6 – which has the likes of NCA, Fair Grove and MV-BT/Liberty – would play in the quarterfinals, with the winner advancing to the final four. Fatima is the only non-local team in the District 5-6 group. While the Comets may be the best of the bunch on paper, the road is certainly open for an Ozarks Class 1 soccer team to make history this spring. With all that said, I’m still not sure who the “best” of the local Class 1 teams are. There is a lot parity. I had Fair Grove in this No. 10 spot a lot last year. Fair Grove ended up losing 2-1 to Crocker in the district finals, so I don’t feel like I missed the mark by much. We’ll go with NCA as our top local Class 1 team for the beginning of the season. The Warriors have two wins over Class 3 teams (McDonald County, Marshfield) and bring back 10 starters, including the likes of Sydney Jones (13 goals), Anna Reinhard, Jacey Lamb and goalkeeper Carlyn Henson. After a winless 2015 campaign, NCA’s win total jumped to eight last season, including a district quarterfinals win in overtime against Laquey.
Upcoming games: March 31 @ Laquey, April 1 @ Greenwood, April 4 @ Monett
Knocking on the door: Willard (2-0-1, Class 3), Glendale (0-1, Class 3), Fair Grove (5-1, Class 1), MV-BT Liberty (1-2-1, Class 1)
