By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Lebanon Lady Yellowjackets soccer coach Matt Jernigan has often been asked how his team will look in 2021.
His answer? “I have no idea. I don’t think many teams know what this season will hold.”
The Zoom call Jernigan had with his 2020 seniors, telling them their final season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, “was one of the hardest things I have had to do in my 13 years of coaching.
“Just knowing that we were not going to get to see that group compete their senior year and try to earn college scholarships was difficult,” Jernigan said. “They took it really well, though. We were still able to do some scrimmages in the summer and give them their senior night, which was good.”
The 2020 seniors who helped the 2019 Lady Yellowjackets to a 7-14 overall and 2-7 Ozark Conference record included: Katie Merritt, a midfielder who was a Class 4 District 11 first team and All-OC second-team selection with eight goals and two assists; Lydia Long (defender), Hayli Myers (midfielder), Tyra Rogers (forward), Brandi Johnson (midfielder) and Onyx Carroll (midfielder).
What Jernigan does know is that he has a group of returnees that has experience in his system.
• Alyson Johnson, senior, defender – Would have missed the 2020 season with a torn ACL. Johnson was a Class 4 District 11 second-team and All-OC honorable mention selection with two goals and two assists in 2019 and is receiving college interest. “We are excited to have Alyson back this year,” Jernigan said. “She is a good defender and we can’t wait to get her back on the field.”
• Amanda DeWitt, senior, midfielder – “Amanda is a four-year player for us and has good foot skill in the middle of the field. Amanda is just a great young lady as well and will be a good leader for us this year.”
• Chloe Shivers, junior, midfielder – “Chloe is a phenomenal athlete and controls the midfield for us. She is a multi-sport athlete and is able to see the game really well. We’re excited to see her compete this year.”
• Paige Taylor, junior, defender – “Paige will be a big part of our defense this year. She is a hard worker and physical player. We are excited to see where she will fit in the mix with as many solid defenders as we have this year.”
• Jewell Shockley, junior, defender – “Jewell is a solid defender who has varsity experience. She is very dedicated and a leader at all of our offseason workouts. She will be playing center back or outside back for us this year.”
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Jernigan, who is 72-72-2 with the girls’ program and 149-263-13 overall at Lebanon, has an interesting group of newcomers. There are a few players who moved into the district last year, but did not have the opportunity to compete.
• Brooke Frank and Kaitlyn Frank, sophomore, midfielders – “Brook and Kaitlyn are twins who moved in last year as freshmen. They have a ton of soccer experience and love the game. We only had them for two weeks last year before COVID, but we are excited to see where they will fit into the mix for Varsity this year.”
• Jayden Piercy, sophomore, forward – “Jayden was (slated to be) our starting forward last year as a freshman. She is extremely fast and athletic. She just has a nose for the goal. We are excited to see how she progresses through the year.”
• Jordan Denson, senior, defender – “Jordan transferred in from Texas at the beginning of the season last year. She is a solid defender and can be used anywhere on the field. She has already committed with Evangel University and we are looking for her to have a great year.”
• Jaidyn Collins, sophomore, midfielder – “Jaidyn was going to be a really good freshman for us last year before COVID hit. We are looking for her to make an immediate impact on Varsity this year. She has a lot of soccer knowledge and sees the game really well.”
One key question for the Lady Yellowjackets this season is at goalkeeper.
“We are up in the air for keeper right now,” Jernigan said. “We have several options, but none with varsity experience.”
Lebanon will host a jamboree on March 13 and will play only Marshfield at 11:30 a.m. before opening its season in its home Heritage Bank Tournament on March 19-20.
“With being out last year, some of our girls have not played soccer in a competitive game for two years,” Jernigan said. “Many of our varsity girls have not had varsity experience. We will be athletic and have some talented girls, but it will take time to get them working together. Offseason workouts only do so much. A lot of the girls have been competing with club teams and other teams, but that chemistry on the field will be something that we will be working hard to find early.
“I know that the girls are just excited to play. COVID really gave them a perspective of never taking a single minute for granted that we are on the field. You don’t know when it might be taken away.”
