By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After winning three-straight district titles (2017-2019), the Glendale Lady Falcons lost a heartbreaker with an overtime loss (1-0 PKs) to Springfield Catholic in the Class 3 District 10 final last season.
“The big lesson in our sport is you have to finish goals in big games,” Glendale coach Jeff Rogers said. “That is the difference in postseason. We have a great group of kids that can hold possession, defend and get lots of great looks on frame, but the key is finishing when it counts.”
But the Lady Falcons, who finished 16-4 overall and 8-1 in the Ozark Conference, have some big shoes to fill with the loss of Macie Stephens, Parker Buzbee, Emily Odewaldt and Lauren Hamm to graduation.
• Macie Stephens, a defender, scored 15 goals and had 11 assists. She was an All-State Academic, Class 3 All-State first-team, Class 3 All-Region 3, Class 3 District 10 first-team and All-Ozark Conference first-team and co-Player of the Year honoree, who is now playing at D-I Abilene Christian University. Rogers describe Stephens as a “very vocal leader who knew how to manage a game.”
• Parker Buzbee, a forward, scored 20 goals and had 4 assists, while earning all-district and all-conference first-team honors. “Parker had a great senior campaign putting herself in scoring situations and finishing.”
• Emily Oedewaldt, a forward, scored 8 goals with 7 assists and was an all-district second-team selection, and Lauren Hamm, a midfielder, scored 2 goals.
Even with the loss of the Class of 2021, the Lady Falcons return a great deal of experience for 2022.
“The girls are focused on having a great year,” said Rogers, who surpassed 400 victories with the Glendale girls’ program and could potentially reached the 1,000 combined (boys and girls) mark this season. “Many have finished out a successful club season, and Reilly Heman and Riley Whisenhunt represented the state in Olympic Development Program play.”
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• Taylor Thompson, senior, goalkeeper (13 shutouts, 77 saves, .79 goals against average) – All-state honorable mention; all-region; all-district first team; all-conference first team; signed with William Jewell College. “Taylor is a seasoned keeper who brings a strong voice and is confident in big games,” Rogers said.
• Halle Eise, senior, midfielder (5 goals, 9 assists) – All-district first team; all-conference second team. “Halle can play multiple positions on the field and is a great 1-on-1 defender and has the speed to create scoring opportunities.”
• Leah McDonald, senior, defender (5 goals, 5 assists) – All-state second team; all-region; all-district first team; all-conference second team; signed with Indiana State University. “Leah will take on a new role as a senior this year. She will be recovering from a knee injury and will be encouraging her teammates throughout the season.”
• Hannah Rohrbaugh, senior, defender (4 goals, 4 assists) – All-district second team; all-conference second team. “Hannah has been in our back four since her freshman season. She is a hard-nosed defender that reads the game well.”
• Reilly Heman, junior, midfielder (13 goals, 7 assists) – All-district second team; all-conference honorable mention. “Reilly is a great athlete who is fun to watch compete in the open field. She has really worked hard on striking a ball from distance and will be a key to our central-mid play.” Heman has committed to Missouri State.
• Reece Hertel, senior, midfielder (4 goals, 3 assists) – All-conference honorable mention; signed with Evangel University. “Reece is a fierce competitor. Like many of our seniors, she has been a part of our success since her freshman year. She will provide speed on the flanks and always looks to crash for goals.”
• Riley Whisenhunt, junior, defender (3 goals, 11 assists) – All-district second team; all-conference. “Riley makes defending look easy. She has a high soccer IQ and knows when to step in and win balls.”
• Annabel Stenger, senior, forward (5 goals, 5 assists) – “Annabel is aggressive and has great speed and we will need her to fill the gap lost by the goals from last year’s senior class.”
• Avery Browne, senior, midfielder (3 goals, 1 assist) – “Avery has great speed and hits a true ball from distance. We are looking for big things out of her in her final season.”
• AJ Black, sophomore, forward (1 goal, 3 assists) – “AJ missed some games last season due to injury, but she will definitely make teams remember her name. She is a technical player that can play many offensive roles. I am excited to see her have a healthy sophomore season.”
• Meegan Randall, junior, goalkeeper (1 goal, 3 assists) – “Meegan is a Swiss Army knife of athletes. She plays softball, basketball and soccer at Glendale. She has committed to play keeper at Olivet Nazarene University in 2023. She is a competitive kid and always wants to help her team win whether that is in goal or on the field.”
• Avery Givens, sophomore, midfield (2 goals, 3 assists) – “Avery received great minutes last year as a freshman and we will look to her to have a great sophomore season.”
Rogers has several newcomers he will look to contribute more this season.
“We had several underclassmen – Sage Baker, Kacey McCoy and Ayla Walden – who saw varsity minutes last year and this will be their year to break into more consistent playing time,” Rogers said. “Like many local teams, we will have some freshmen that will get varsity minutes or even start and have a big impact. We will wait and see in the first few matches who those players will be.”
Glendale will participate in a jamboree at Kickapoo with Nixa before opening the season on the road March 21 at Lebanon.
“We will be strong defensively and will have great vision players in the middle of the field that compete hard and will push us offensively,” Rogers said. “We will play a tough schedule, as always, and will look to improve each game as we prepare for postseason.”
