By Chris Parker
Cassville boys soccer has posted three consecutive six-win seasons, but expect that number to grow this year with the Wildcats returning a good amount of experience.
“We are more than capable of getting back to double-digit wins or beyond this season,” Cassville head coach Jake Forste said. “Last year, we started six freshmen during most games, with two of our key reserves also being freshmen. Although we went 6-18, we played a lot of close, competitive games with a young bunch. I liked the fighting spirit of last year’s team. Any time you field such a young group, you know you’re going to go through some growing pains, and we endured our fair share. But, ultimately, we played with pride and played the game the right way, and we said from day one ‘our youth will not be an excuse’. We improved tremendously as the season progressed and that momentum has carried into the offseason. Defensively, we have what it takes to compete in the conference and district. Our biggest focus is creating more chances, earning set pieces, and finishing with precision.”
Record-setting goalkeeper Peter Littlefield returns for his sophomore season. He earned first-team all-district honors after posting four shutouts and tallying a school-record 259 saves as a freshman.
“Pete was incredible last season. His ability to stop shots was unprecedented, as he set our school record with 259 saves. He is long and rangy (6-foot-5), knows the game, and consistently puts himself in the right spot. He will be one of the top goalkeepers in southwest Missouri this year,” Forste said. “From a growth perspective, Pete has all the talent you could hope for. Our primary focus is encouraging him to take on more of a leadership role. He stepped in last year and started every game, but vocally, I think he deferred to some of the older guys. I want him to keep his defense organized and talk to his back line for 80 straight minutes. He is a willing leader and is making strides daily. His potential between the sticks is limitless.”
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Dylan Renkoski (junior), Carson Whittemire (senior) and Dylan Berndt (senior) all earned all-conference honors at defender last year. Berndt is the team’s leading returning goal-scorer at three.
“We are strong in the back and I feel good about this group. These guys really shined as last year’s season progressed, and having that extra year of growth will only benefit them more. Last year we had new players in all 11 spots on the field. It takes time to build that chemistry. Ultimately we found it, and we have only continued to build on it as a group,” Forste said.
Seniors Russel Dunker and Camron Sloan are two more players to watch on the defense. Sloan returns after he missed last year studying abroad in France. He was the team’s Newcomer of the Year in 2018.
Sophomores Reese Heiden and Edgar Perez will be the forwards this year. Ivan Perez will be a key piece as an attacking midfielder. Josh Case will also be out wide in the midfield. There are a host of other players ready to contribute in the midfield.
“Our bench will be the deepest in my five years here, and we have some real battles at the other midfield spots,” Forste said. “Ultimately I think we will have seven or eight guys playing starter’s minutes in the midfield, allowing us to maintain fresh legs and have some resilience there in the event of an injury or prolonged illness or quarantine.”
Eli Leach (junior), Nic Sanders (sophomore), Jonathan Oliphant (junior), David Oliphant (senior) and Zane Mebruer (senior) will all look to contribute in the midfield.
“We feel good about our group coming into the fall. We will have 30-plus boys on the roster for the first time in my five-year tenure, which just feels awesome. Our community has worked hard at the lower grade levels establishing a U8, U10, U12, and U15 club, and this will be the second year we’ve had those club kids enter as freshmen, as we’ve averaged 13 freshmen for the last two years,” Forste said. “We played some tight matches in the conference last year, often entering halftime 0-0, only to give up some late goals. Having only lost two starters and gained over a dozen new guys, we feel like we can flip the script on those games and climb the conference standings. Health will be a big factor, but with a deep bench, I think we will be more resilient to injury than we have in years past.”
Cassville opens the season Sept. 1-5 at its home tournament.
