By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Over the past four seasons, the Hillcrest Lady Hornets have improved in almost every statistical category, including the win column and roster numbers, and they aim to keep the needle moving up.
Hillcrest finished 8-12 overall and 2-8 in the Ozark Conference in 2024 after going 5-15 overall in 2023 – an improvement from 2-19 in 2022 and 1-23 in 2021. The Lady Hornets totaled 40 goals and 21 assists – better than the 33 and 15 totals from 2023. They also bettered their district seeding from No. 7 in 2023 to No. 6 in 2024, which included an upset (penalty kicks) victory over No. 3 Branson in the opening round of the Class 3 District 6 Tournament, and a narrow 1-0 loss to No. 2 Marshfield in the semifinals.
“The takeaways from last year that will benefit the 2025 season is the amount of confidence from each game that was played,” said coach Roy Hardy, who enters his sixth season leading the Lady Hornets. “We were in most of the games last year except for three of them. Hopefully, we can go into the 2025 season with the same level of confidence we had in our last two games of the season in districts.
“This season, the strength of our team is having nine varsity starters return and some experiences from the handful of one-goal losses. We have a great nucleus coming back from last year (that could have won at least 11 games). Also, continuing to have a JV team is tremendous for the program as the young and inexperienced will get valuable training minutes.”
This season, the Lady Hornets will field a fairly young lineup with just two seniors, six juniors and one sophomore.
Sydney Peck, senior defender – “Sydney will be one of the leaders for our team,” Hardy said. “She is a great student-athlete on and off the field. Sydney is the type of person who will lead by example. She is a team player and is willing to jump into any role she is given. She is tough as nails, and I look forward to seeing what she can accomplish this season.”
Ishmari Martinez, senior defender – “Last season, playing on the defense line, you can see the level of sureness from her increasing from game to game. In her first year, there were lots of questions, doubts and fears of making a mistake in the final third. This year, I can see her playing with tons of confidence which will help with our defensive backs in the long run. I’m anticipating a great season from Ish.”
Lauren Wilkinson, junior midfielder – Led the team with 11 goals and 5 assists; earned Class 3 District 6 first-team and All-Ozark Conference first-team honors. “Lauren has scored 25 goals and 10 assists in her career. This is the second-most goals and assists on both sides (boys and girls) since I have been coaching at Hillcrest. Lauren’s field vision and her scoring capabilities make her a threat in the midfield. She has the ability to see goals happen before they actually occur, either by scoring herself or setting up her teammate for a goal. Since arriving, Lauren has helped boost the team’s scoring average from 0.47 to 2 goals per game.”
Jadyn McCall, junior defender – Scored 9 goals with 2 assists; earned Class 3 District 6 first-team and All-Ozark Conference second-team honors. “Jadyn was our commander and chief back on the defensive line. Her all-round skills and physical talent make her very versatile to our team. Jadyn is quick enough to run down an attacker, win the ball, and get the team out of danger. She can push up the field in transition and support the offense by giving us another scoring option. Jadyn is the bridge between our offense and defense.”
Caitlin Summers, junior midfielder/defender – Scored 6 goals with 2 assists. “Caitlin started the 2024 season on the injury reserved list (an injury that occurred during basketball season). In her first game back, she scored two goals and dished out one assist. Before the season ended, she was moved to the back line to help secure the defensive third. The move took away some scoring opportunities; however, it helped the team get its first district win (under Coach Hardy’s tenure) and nearly a second win, losing in the semifinals. Caitlin has proven that she can produce anywhere she is placed on the pitch.”
Rosely Figueroa, junior midfielder – Scored 2 goals with 3 assists. “Her freshmen year, Rosely started in the midfield for JV and quickly moved up to become a varsity starter by the end of the season. Her attention to detail and improving on receiving and passing became very evident among the coaching staff. Rosely was a full-time starter last season. Her role expanded to more positions (the 6 and 9) because the ball always seemed to find her because of the movement off the ball. Rosely helped the team advance by putting in the last PK (in the shootout) in district play to advance the team to the second round.”
Lydia Smith, junior forward – Scored 3 goals. “Lydia would probably be the first to tell you that she should have scored more. She is very coachable and works extremely hard in her position. While Lydia might not be the skilled individual up top, she is one of the fastest girls in our program with great endurance, which puts her in great position to score goals.”
Camryn Summers, junior defender – “When you are a defensive back there are not a lot of stats that get recognized or credited. For our program, Camryn has the intangibles of no matter the situation, she will give the team her best and play her heart out. She will be important for us in locking up wide plays.”
Nicholette Guavis, sophomore midfield – Scored 3 goals with 1 assist. “Last year was Nicholette’s first year playing soccer. One word that comes to mind for Nicholette, is ‘coachable.’ She listens to what you have to say and makes the change to improve her game with a smile.”
Hardy has several players he says could play a vital role this season in Alyssia Brison, Miley Bright, Darcy Hamor, Skye Hocfbaum, Natalie Owens, Tatiana Martinez, and Elizabeth Pacheco.
“They’re a good group of girls that are good in the classroom and on some type of playing surface,” Hardy said of his roster. “Most of the girls are dual athletes and some even play three sports. I only have a handful who just play soccer. There is nothing like having most of your roster being active when not in season.”
One key loss for the Lady Hornets is in goal with the graduation of all-district and all-conference keeper Natalie Percival.
Natalie Percival – Named Class 3 District 6 first team and All-Ozark Conference honorable mention. “Natalie will be missed in the keeper box,” Hardy said. “Last year, Natalie recorded eight clean sheets, which is the most since I have been here and had the fewest goals given up with 52. Her main sport was volleyball, and she decided to play soccer in her sophomore year. I was blessed to see her improve each season from giving up five goals per game in her sophomore year to only giving up two goals per game her senior year.
“What will be missed from Percival is her attention to detail, her desire to be better from practice to games, and her willingness to try new keeper techniques. Her shoes will be hard to fill in the keeper role as we will be in search of someone who is willing to put in the work like Percival.”
Hillcrest, which will be competing in the Ozark Mountain Conference in 2025, will participate in West Plains’ jamboree on March 14 with Central and Monett before opening the regular season on the road at Fair Grove on March 31.
“If we want teams to respect us, we must earn it,” Hardy said. “I expect us to play with a positive attitude and a sense of persistence. We are going to work to be competitive in any game we play with an eye for being successful in the postseason where it matters.
“This group of girls is hard-working and eager to be recognized as a program; getting our players to understand the importance of every game and to not compare scores. Every team must compete, every night, during every game and every play.”
