By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Year in and year out, the Nixa Lady Eagles can usually be counted on to post a winning record and have success in the postseason. But heading into the 2023 season, that task seemed a little taller to accomplish.
The Lady Eagles returned just three seniors and five varsity players, and had 20 first-year varsity players that included 10 freshmen. But Evan Palmer’s squad stepped up to finish 13-9 overall, with just one loss in the Central Ozark Conference, where it scored 51 goals, gave up none and was Class 4 District 5 runners-up.
“We knew we had a great freshman group from seeing them in the summer, but we weren’t sure how they would be on the varsity field,” said Palmer, who picked up win No. 700 with Nixa’s 6-0 victory over Carthage on April 27, 2023. “They proved themselves and then some.”
And the Lady Eagles did just that by doubling their 2022 output by scoring 86 goals and giving up 20 in 2023. Their season ended with a 3-2, double-overtime loss to Kickapoo in the district championship.
“The Kickapoo loss in districts was an extremely tough one to swallow,” Palmer said. “We went toe-to-toe with Kickapoo, who had proven themselves as the best team in southwest Missouri. I was so proud of our team for giving themselves a chance to win a district championship. The way they grew as a team last year was so fun to watch. We hope to build on that in 2024.”
With a season of varsity experience under their belts, the 2024 version of the Lady Eagles includes the return of four seniors, three juniors and 10 sophomores.
Isabella Johnson, senior forward/midfielder – Scored 7 goals with 6 assists; earned Class 4 All-District 5 and All-COC honorable mention honors. “Bella was having a great season and then got injured and couldn’t play the rest of the year,” Palmer said. “She is back and looking like herself again, we are looking for another great year from her and, hopefully, injury-free as she has lost games in each of her three previous seasons due to injury.
Alayna Christiansen, senior midfielder/defender – Scored 1 goal with 2 assists. “Alayna gave us great minutes off the bench. She is strong and fast and can play multiple positions.”
Lily Dorio, senior defender – “Lily did a great job playing in the back, as well as in the midfield. Her versatility will help us this year.”
Allyson Pendergraft, senior goalkeeper – Played 1,620 minutes and recorded 68 saves and 19 goals against for a .91 goals-against average. “Allyson played great last year. We weren’t sure how she would do, but those fears quickly went away after her shutout of Glendale in our second game. I am sure we will get another great year out of her.”
Bailey Snyder, junior defender – Earned Class 4 All-Region 3, all-district and all-conference first-team honors. “Bailey was a great center back for us. She is also effective moving up the field and is a scoring threat as well. She has great speed and feel for the game and seems to be everywhere on the field.”
Brooke Teter, junior forward – Scored 19 goals and led the team with 11 assists; named all-district first team and all-conference second team. “Brooke is that rare athlete who plays at a high level in both basketball and soccer. Brooke competes for every ball and is tough for opponents to corral. We need her to have another scoring year like last year.”
Avery Bishop, junior defender – Recorded 3 assists; was an all-district and all-conference honorable mention pick. “Avery is a tough defender who is one of our best communicators. If you see us play, you will hear her in the stadium. She had an injury in club ball in the fall and will be back, we hope, by midseason.”
Shaelee Franck, sophomore forward – Led the team with 21 goals (most by a freshman in Nixa program history) and added 10 assists; earned all-district first team and all-conference second team. “Shalee is a strong presence for us going forward. She has a great sense of where to put the ball when shooting. Shaelee and Brooke up top are going to be hard to defend for our opponents.”
Sam McClain, sophomore midfielder – Scored 2 goals with 5 assists; was an all-district and all-conference honorable mention pick. “Sam had a great freshman year. She was a force in our central midfield and could compete with anyone in any grade. I feel she will up her goals and assists this year and be an even bigger force in the midfield for us.”
London Kirk, sophomore midfielder – Scored 4 goals with 6 assists. “London was great in the central midfield for us and will be an even bigger presence there this year. She is strong on the ball and gets forward quickly.”
Jade Johnson, sophomore winger/forward – Scored 9 goals with 6 assists. “She had a great freshman season and was third on the team in goals scored. She has great speed and gets by defenders frequently. She can also play up top, which gives us a different look for our opponents.”
Bria Smith, sophomore defender – “Bria was our first back line substitute and was solid all year. She was ready when Lydia deWild went down in districts and was fantastic. She is a tough 1-v-1 defender who can cover a lot of ground. This year, she will be a starter and will be a huge part of our success.”
Lilly Kirk, sophomore winger/forward – “Lilly has so much energy and last year, coming off the bench, she was a needed jolt for our team at times. She will be vying for a starting job this year, but her speed and skill is a great asset for us.”
Mackinzie Harris, sophomore defender/midfielder – Scored 3 goals. “Mackinzie really came on at the end of the year and gave us great minutes in the midfield. This year, she will probably play in the back more, but her versatility is a great asset to our team. She can run forever, as she was a medalist at state in cross country.”
Layla Ward, sophomore defender/midfielder/goalkeeper – Handed out 2 assists. “Layla is our Swiss-Army knife, as she can play about anywhere. We will have her as our back-up goalie and she can play in the back as well as on the outside midfield. She has a great left foot that we will look to exploit this season.”
Anahi Lozano, sophomore midfielder – “Anahi had injury issues last spring and we hope she is healthy this year. She is an excellent holding center midfielder who defends well and distributes the ball effectively.”
Riley Butler, sophomore midfielder – “Riley got injured early and couldn’t play the rest of the year. We are looking forward to seeing what she can do now that she is back to 100 percent. She is a fierce competitor that battles in the midfield, which is what we will need out of her this year.”
“I really like the commitment of the team,” Palmer said. “We have had great numbers at our offseason workouts. There is good team chemistry and the team really gets along well with each other. The girls are excited to get going as are the coaches. The schedule is tough, but we are really looking forward to being challenged by those great teams.”
Nixa did lose some important pieces from its district runner-up squad that will need to be replaced.
Alexa Gaunt, midfielder – Scored 7 goals with 9 assists; named Class 4 All-State, Class 4 All-Region 3, Class 4 All-District 5 and All-COC First Team. “Alexa was not only a great player for us but was a great leader for this young team. She has great energy and seems to be everywhere on the field. Her touch on the ball and vision were great as she seemed to make the right decision all the time.”
Lydia deWild, defender – Earned Class 4 All-State Honorable Mention, Class 4 All-Region 3, Class 4 All-District 5 and All-COC First-Team honors. “Lydia is as solid of a defender as we have had here at Nixa and we have had many great ones. She has been a starter since her sophomore year and has become a great team leader. We had a young back line and she was the needed veteran presence back there. Her skills are excellent as is her ability to read the game. It was a blow for the team when she went down injured early in the district semi against Ozark. She is at Drury and will be ready for the 2024 season for the Panthers.”
Lydia Olson, midfielder – Scored 5 goals with 1 assist for her career. “Lydia was our comic relief for the team, but she was also an intense competitor and her passion rubbed off on the team, especially with our younger players. She got hurt in 2022 early in the year but fought her way back to be a starter in 2023.”
The Lady Eagles will participate in a jamboree at Kickapoo with Ozark before opening the regular season at home against Springfield Catholic on March 19 and Sedalia Smith-Cotton on March 22.
“Right out of the gate we play Catholic and Smith-Cotton in that first week; two excellent programs that will really put us to the test,” Palmer said. “We aren’t as young and inexperienced like we were last year, but we are still on the young side. We, hopefully, will be able to start at a higher level with not a lot of turnover like we have had the last two seasons.
“Our outcome goals never change – we are focused on our conference then the district tournament and, hopefully, a deep postseason run.”
