By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Catholic Lady Irish return 14 players from their 2023 district championship roster and look to make more noise again this spring.
The Lady Irish, who finished 19-6 overall and 6-0 in the Big 8 Conference, knocked off Glendale for the Class 3 District 6 title before falling in overtime to Union in the state quarterfinals.
“We grew a great deal as a team during the final weeks of last season and throughout the playoffs,” said hall-of-fame coach Ben Timson, who enters year 24 with the Lady Irish. “Winning a district title in Class 3 was a big step for us. Losing the quarterfinal in overtime was very difficult at the time, but it provided us a level of determination entering this season that we will hopefully be able to capitalize on to focus on the goal of going one step further.”
And returning 14 of 16 varsity players is a good step in that direction for a program that has won 19 district championships, made 13 trips to the final four and won two state titles.
Olivia Swisshelm, senior midfielder – Class 3 All-State Second Team, Class 3 Region 3 First Team, Class 3 District 6 First Team, Big 8 First Team. “Liv contributes greatly to our attack as a wing midfielder mainly on the left side,” Timson said. “Her left-foot crosses resulted in her leading the team in assists last year with 21.”
Peyton Wiseman, junior forward – Scored 25 goals; earned all-state honorable-mention, all-region, all-district and all-conference first-team honors. “Peyton is a strong, physical player with a nose for the goal.”
Campbell Morgan, junior midfielder – Named all-state, all-region, all-district and all-conference first team. “Campbell is our field general from her center midfield position. We rely on her both to score goals and set up her teammates.”
Izzie Belz, junior midfielder – All-district first team and all-conference second team. “Izzie has made great strides since her freshman year. We will look to her to distribute the ball and score for us this season.”
Bella Passanise, junior midfielder – All-conference honorable mention. “Bella is a strong, athletic wing midfielder who has a knack for scoring early and late goals.”
Kennedi Roubal, senior outside back – All-conference second team. “Kennedi has been a starter at outside back since her freshman year. She is very poised and excels under stress. We will look to her for leadership this year.”
Maggie Mahaffey, junior outside back – “Maggie can contribute in multiple positions. She is a strong midfielder who can distribute and score. However, we will likely play her at the center back position and allow her to move into the attack when she sees an opening.”
Karsyn Bowler, junior center back – “Karsyn has been battling injuries and will take some time to work into the season.”
Haley Brown, senior goalkeeper – All-region, all-district and all-conference first Team; committed to Arkansas State University. “We are looking forward to having Haley in goal for her fourth season. She is one of the best keepers we have had at Catholic.”
Grace Hoerschgen, junior goalkeeper – “Grace will see playing time on our back line again this season. She made great strides as an outside back last year as a sophomore. She will back up Haley in goal.”
Aden Brown, sophomore – “Aden is a very versatile player who will contribute all over the field. She can score from the forward position, distribute the ball from the midfield and defend on the back line.”
Ashbey Meyer, sophomore midfield – “Ashbey will be part of a deep central midfield we will have this year. She is very technical, sees the field well and contributes significantly to our ability to possess the ball.”
Alice Farmer, sophomore defender – “Alice made major strides last season. We initially played her as a wing midfielder but moved her to outside back early in the season where she excelled. She is highly competitive and rarely loses 50/50 challenges.”
Aiden Nichols, sophomore midfield – “Aiden will be part of our outside midfield rotation this season.”
“I like the maturity of this team,” Timson said. “We have 12 juniors and seniors who have played together in the program for multiple years now. That experience will allow us to do some things we were not able to do in the past.
“Our biggest strength will be in the center midfield position. We have six players who are very strong in the center of the park. That depth will allow us to rotate players and keep them fresh during games and throughout the season. We have multiple players who can score, and we will again have a strong goalkeeper in Haley Brown. Our back line will be a work in progress as we replace Sophia Cardin and Avery Bowler who anchored our defense last season, but I am confident it will come together as the season progresses.”
Timson points to three newcomers, who could also make an impact this season.
“Senior Maddie Meyer returns to the team this season after missing last year with an injury,” Timson said. “She will make a significant contribution to the team in the midfield.
“We have two freshmen who will contribute to our team this year, Izzy Hoerschgen and Jude Daues. Hoerschgen is very athletic, brings a great deal of club experience to the team and can play multiple positions. Daues also has club experience and is a technically sound midfielder.”
Gone from last year’s district championship team are all-district and all-conference performers, Bowler and Cardin.
“Avery (all-district first team, all-conference second team) and Sophia (an all-district first team, all-conference second-team selection, now playing at Rockhurst University) were our two center backs for the final several weeks of the season,” Timson said. “Their feel for the game was exceptional and they were a key reason for our success in shutting down opponents. Their leadership will be missed and a great deal of our success this year will depend on whether or not we can replace that leadership on our back line.”
The Lady Irish will participate in a jamboree at Ozark with Logan-Rogersville and Laquey on March 8 before opening the regular season in the Bluefish Soccer Invitational on March 15-16.
“Our notable matchups again this season will be Nixa, Ozark, Glendale and Kickapoo,” Timson said. “We always judge our season based on our performance against the Class 4 powers in southwest Missouri.
“I expect us to have a strong season this year. Our hope will be to win a district championship and our dream will be to advance to our first final four in Class 3.”
