By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Camdenton Lady Lakers coach Tyler Sevon is hoping that the growing pains his team experienced last season will pay off in 2023.
The Lady Lakers, who went 11-13 overall and 7-3 in the Ozark Conference (third place) in 2022, were underclassman-heavy and Sevon said he looks for the now juniors and seniors to take on bigger leadership roles in helping turn those close losses in 2022 into wins this season.
“We are hoping to have grown mentally tough from our setbacks last season and are hoping to turn that into more success on and off the field,” said Sevon, who is 27-24 at Camdenton and was named Ozark Conference Co-Coach of the Year.
“I like where we are starting from this year. This is Year Three for me at Camdenton, so there is now real familiarity with the players and our combined goals and expectations. I like our soccer IQ and think that we can do some great things and get some good results this year, if we can get the chemistry right and we can find the right rotations that work together.”
And that starts with seven key players from last year’s squad that returns several who earned postseason honors.
• Makenna Brauer, junior defender, named first-team all-conference, Class 3 All-District 5 and Class 3 Region 3. “Makenna played every minute last year on the back line and will continue to be a staple of the defense,” Sevon said.
• Zoe Lockhert, junior defender, scored 2 goals with 5 assists; earned second-team all-conference and honorable mention all-district honors. “Zoe is strong on the ball defensively and is very dangerous in the air.”
• Addy Clay, junior midfielder, 7 goals, 4 assists; named second-team all-conference and all-district honorable mention. “Addy is a great passer and sees the game very well. She will look to set her teammates up all year and score plenty herself.”
• Ella Smith, senior midfielder, 5 goals, 1 assist. “Ella is good with the ball at her feet and has a great shot. She will look to score more consistently and often this year.”
• Ariana Maples, junior forward, 4 goals, 5 assists; an all-conference honorable mention selection. “Ariana is an absolute workhorse and never gives up on a play. Her hustle alone puts her in great goal-scoring opportunities for herself and teammates.”
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• Rylee Hinton, senior midfielder, 1 goal, 1 assist. “Rylee is a Swiss Army knife. She plays all over the field and plays every position well. She may even play in the goal this year.”
• Kyla Kirby, sophomore midfielder, 1 goal. “Kyla is a smart soccer player who is fearless and will do whatever it takes to help her team.”
The Lady Lakers will have some big shoes to fill on both sides of the ball.
Alli Johns (10 goals, 4 assists) was a first-team all-conference, all-district and all-region selection; Lexi Rapier (2 goals, 4 assists) earned honorable mention all-conference honors, while Jocelyn Wolff (99 saves, 7 clean sheets) and Alyssa Brawley (33 saves) split time in goal.
“Alli was our leading goal scorer the past two seasons, and that will definitely be missed as well as her mentality,” Sevon said. “Lexi was a great mentor to our younger players and was always a great example and leader for them. Jocelyn and Alyssa split time at goalkeeper, each after not playing soccer the year before. They both did a great job and we are left filling the goalkeeper void again.”
Camdenton will participate in a jamboree on March 13 at Waynesville, with Rolla, Dixon and Waynesville, before opening with three straight games at home against Capital City (March 17), Rolla (March 21) and Glendale (March 23).
“I think that we will be very strong defensively with a backline of all upperclassmen,” Sevon said. “The last two years our backline has been almost entirely freshmen or sophomores and they have been good, but I expect them to take another step forward this year and be really tough to play against.
“I think we will also find more ways to score this year and get a lot of players involved in that aspect and won’t rely on any one person to carry the scoring load like we have the last couple of seasons.”
