By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Glendale Lady Falcons return a great deal of talent and experience from a team that had its season end early with the move up to Class 4 in 2024.
“Our girls played a tough schedule, and we got better every game,” said hall-of-fame coach Jeff Rogers, who enters year 28 as the Lady Falcons’ head coach. “We finished our season with a loss in the district semifinals, but the way we competed will be the momentum we will take into 2025.”
Glendale finished 15-8 overall and 9-1 in its final season in the Ozark Conference. The Lady Falcons’ season ended with a 2-0 loss to OC rival Kickapoo in the Class 4 District 5 Tournament semifinals.
“We will not be very deep and will need to keep players healthy, which can be a challenge considering our schedule,” said Rogers, who is 460-189-37 with the girls’ program and a combined 1,092-405-71 with both the boys’ and girls’ programs at Glendale. “We will use the season to prepare us for postseason play.”
The Lady Falcons, who will compete in the Central Ozark Conference East this season, lose significant offense from 2024, but return the experience of seven seniors, three juniors and a sophomore.
Trystan Mayer, senior defender – “Trystan has been on our back line since her freshman season,” Rogers said. “She has played in big games including competing for a state championship. She is very confident and consistent in her play and we will rely on her leadership this season.”
Caroline Carr, junior midfielder – Scored 13 goals with 17 assists; earned Class 4 All-Region 3, Class 4 District 5 first-team, All-Ozark Conference first-team honors. “Caroline had 32 assists her freshman season, which is the most in Glendale history for the boys or girls. She continues to build on her skill sets as a great vision player and someone that pushes our offense. We will look for her to push our offense this season. She is always working on her game and her desire to improve as a player and a teammate is contagious and a great example to our younger players.”
Cate Vincel, junior forward – Scored 2 goals with 4 assists. “Cate has been on the field in our lineup since her freshman season and continues to work hard to develop her game.”
Sophie Oedewaldt, junior midfielder – “Sophie had a great freshman year and stepped on the field for five minutes last season and unfortunately had a season-ending injury. She stayed positive through that process and I am excited to watch her compete this season.”
*Charlie Wistrom, midfielder (graduated early) – Led team with 43 goals and 14 assists; named Class 4 All-State first team, Class 4 All-Region 3, Class 4 District 5 first team and All-Ozark Conference first team. “Charlie is a great athlete and competitor, and we will miss her this season. She graduated early and has joined her team at the University of Nebraska.”
MJ Brawner, senior defender – Earned Class 4 District 5 first-team and All-Ozark Conference second-team honors. “MJ is a great athlete as she also plays golf and swims for Glendale. She played on our back line and really allowed us to match up against high-powered offensive teams.”
Raegan Randall, senior goalkeeper – Recorded 12 shutouts and was an All-Ozark Conference second-team selection. “Raegan will be a difference-maker for us this year. She is a great athlete as she goes from softball to basketball and then soccer. Her athletic abilities have resulted in a scholarship to Truman State to play softball. She loves to train and is always looking to be coached to improve her game.”
Madison Bergman, senior forward – Scored 12 goals with 4 assists; earned Class 4 District 5 honorable mention and All-Ozark Conference second team honors. “Like many athletes, she had to recover from an injury in the offseason and it was fun to watch her gain her confidence and continue to improve all season. We (lose) a lot of offense with Charlie graduating early, so we will look to Madi to be that player for us this year.”
Emerson Pottebaum, senior defender – Named Class 4 District 5 and All-Ozark Conference honorable mention. “Emerson has great speed and loves to compete. She can help us on the outside of the field with her speed and we will look for her to help us defensively. She understands the game and tendencies of offensive players and I know she will have a great year for us.”
Tiffany Caison, senior forward – “Tiffany is the very definition of a student-athlete. She shows up and works hard in practice and games then runs off the field for other activities. She has speed and can create space for herself and her teammates to create good looks. Her dedication to her academics and soccer have earned her valedictorian honors and also a soccer scholarship to Evangel University.”
Allison Olson, senior, forward – Scored 1 goal with 3 assists. “Al has great speed and works hard both in training and in practice. Her athletic abilities have earned her a college scholarship to Ottawa University to play flag football.”
Cami Randall, sophomore, forward – Scored 5 goals with 4 assists. “Cami has all the tools to be a player that teams will need to be aware of. She is technical and has a great shot. You could see last year that every game her confidence was growing and as a sophomore, I am excited to see her play to her potential.”
Mia Whitney, Millie VonWiller and McKenzie St. Clair earned varsity minutes and will look to compete for starting roles this season.
In addition, Rogers said his sophomore class – Hazel Sawyer, Addison Lee, Kaitlyn Burri, Elle Givens, Lula Sandidge and Rebecca Dunlap, all of whom saw varsity action in 2024 – have the chance to play bigger roles this season.
“It is always tough to say goodbye to your seniors after that last game, but our three seniors did a great job of leading the younger players,” Rogers said. “We will take the experiences from last year as we build on our traditions and compete this year.”
The three Lady Falcons graduates included Avery Givens (midfielder, Class 4 District 5 first team, All-Ozark Conference first team), Ayla Walden (midfielder, All-Ozark Conference honorable mention) and Kacey McCoy (defender, Class 4 District 5 first team, All-Ozark Conference first team).
“Avery, Ayla and Kacey were great leaders for us last year,” Rogers said. “They were the perfect combination of talent, competitive players and positive leaders. They continued the great tradition we have at Glendale and this allows the next group to step up for a new season.”
Glendale will participate in a jamboree at Kickapoo with Nixa on March 13 before opening the regular season at Republic on March 26.
“Our district has some very talented teams with great players and we will need to use our schedule to prepare for the postseason,” Rogers said. “Nixa captured our district and had a quarterfinal appearance. We will all be chasing them this year and there should be some competitive games with some talented teams representing southwest Missouri.”
