By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Mountain View – Birch Tree Liberty Lady Eagles soccer team was eager to reclaim a district title in 2020 after losing the previous year to New Covenant in the championship, ending the season with a 15-6-1 record. Unfortunately, they didn’t get that chance.
“Last season, I was expecting big things from players with a lot of varsity experience,” said head coach Shelly Renegar. These players included Amber Collins, Kennedy Cooley, and Timberly Richison, as well as Sheekota Gott, Sadie Stubbs, and Kymmi Miller. “Cooley and Collins were expected to lead our offense with their passing and finishing skills,” said Renegar. “Collins had committed to play at East Central College, but unfortunately their season was also canceled due to the pandemic.”
The Lady Eagles do have several returning seniors who seek to lead the team to the post-season. Haley Radford, Mia Wagner, Marley Kyle, and Marie McClellan are “expected to play a vital role on the field with experience and leadership skills,” per their coach.
Juniors Ana Rodriquez, Litzy Lopez, Isobel Tripp, Tru Daniels, and Abby Woolsey are also returning this year.
“I anticipate McClellan, Daniels, and even Wagner, unless she ends up leading our defense, to be scoring goals,” said Renegar. “I’m expecting Kyle to be my most versatile field player that will play in multiple positions depending on our opponent’s strengths and weaknesses for each game.” As a freshman, Abby Woolsey set a school goalkeeping record of 8 shutouts in a single season and was only in the goal for fourteen full games with a knee injury early in the season.
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Coach Renegar said Peyton Bush, who hasn’t stepped on the field since her freshman year in 2018 as the team’s keeper, is also considering rejoining the team. “Even though both Woolsey and Bush will be assets on the field, it will be tough deciding who will guard the goal,” she said.
Sophomores Adison Burks, Olivia Miller, and Kenzie Daniels will be returning this year after their first season as freshmen got cut short. Even with their lack of high school game experience, they are expected to contribute on the field.
Other newcomers include junior Kiley Taber, sophomore Abigail Orchard, and freshmen Tati Chavez, Kallee McDaniel, Mackinzie Tomey, and Sydney Radford.
“I feel like this will be a catch-up year, just like it has been with everything else,” said Coach Renegar. “All new players and underclassmen will have a lot to learn before they can be expected to play to their potential. Even our most experienced players will need to build chemistry and figure out how to play with this team and without the players they depended on, like Abigail Reese on the defensive end and Amanda Mantel on the offensive end in 2019. I plan to really focus on technical skills early in the season. Hopefully, we can learn the game and use those skills to play as a team and that all players make an impact.”
The Lady Eagles open their season March 19 at the Lebanon Tournament.
