Fielding four seniors and no juniors in 2023, the University Heights Academy Blazers advanced to the semifinals of the All A Classic State Tournament and was one win away from a region title.
The Lady Blazers will again have no seniors on its roster in 2024 as they look to take the next step.
Hopkinsville has several starters back for veteran coach Jeff Addison, while Christian County and Fort Campbell will be retooling a bit as they look to play the part of spoiler and crash the region tournament party.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS ACADEMY (18-3-1)
An eclectic mix of freshmen and sophomores paced the Lady Blazers to an All A Classic region and sectional title in 2023. At the state tourney, a first-round win dropped them into the semifinals where they lost to eventual All A Classic and KHSAA state champion Bethlehem.
That path could be a touch easier this year as sectional nemesis Murray has been bumped out of the All A Classic and into the Class 2A Championship.
After breezing to the district title, UHA’s 2023 journey ended at the hands of Ashton Lynam and Henderson County in the region championship. The Lady Colonel senior scored all of Henderson’s goals in the region tourney, including a hat trick in a 3-1 win over the Lady Blazers.
Veteran coach Michael Parker will sport a roster in 2024 with no seniors.
Four of UHA’s top five scorers return along with experience on the back line.
Audrey Perry and Kendall Hancock worked well up top as the Lady Blazers scored six goals a game. Hancock scored 43 goals in her freshman campaign with 15 assists, while Perry, a junior, scored 23 goals and assisted on 30 others.
Junior Skylar Cantrell gives UHA a solid left foot up front after scoring eight goals with nine assists last season.
Kate Adams, Gracie Ausenbaugh, Kate Cayce, and Kate Lynn Gibson joined Hancock as freshmen who cracked the starting lineup last year.
Juniors Emma Tyler (who didn’t play last year), Cecelia Langhi, Alyssa Grise, and Ajae Oatts will not only be expected to help hold down the midfield and back line but also provide some leadership for a young team that also features four incoming freshmen.
Maddie Williams had her hand in 13 shutouts as a freshman, allowing just over a goal a game as a freshman.
UHA has beefed up its schedule a bit in 2024, adding road games at Marshall County and Ohio County as well as a home match with defending Third Region champion Daviess County on Sept. 7 – the first-ever matchup between the schools.
The Lady Blazers open Monday with Greenwood, a team that made it to the Fourth Region championship game last year.
HOPKINSVILLE (9-9-2)
Veteran coach Jeff Addison has a knack for tinkering with his lineup early in the season and getting the pieces in the right places by the time the postseason rolls around.
With most of his team from last year returning in 2024, there may be less tinkering this season.
The Lady Tigers have a solid nucleus returning, especially in the back where the Lady Tigers showed the ability to keep powerful offenses in check.
“We do have a couple of new people to that back line,” Addison said. “Lauren Jones has been moved back there from the midfield and Kyla Cherry is a new player.”
They will join Caroline Baker, Emma DeArmond, and Lila Jorgensen who Addison calls “solid defenders.” Lauren Mayes comes over from the cross country team and will help in the back.
Addison is hoping Jaleigha McFarland continues to develop in goal. She saw limited action last year behind DeAijha Tullis who has moved out of the district.
All-District defender Grace Cansler moves from the defense to midfield to help facilitate an offense that returns its top five scorers – Cansler included – but averaged just three goals a contest.
“Grace is an athlete. She can win balls. She’s fast and moves really well and doesn’t hardly ever tire out there,” said Addison, who added her move to midfield came at the insistence of his assistant coaches.
“My assistants get the credit for that. They were like ‘move her, move her. You gotta move her up.’”
With Cansler in the midfield, Kaydon Coats and Kaylyn Lynch will look to be the primary scorers.
Sophomore Azaa Enkhtugs also moves to outside forward from the midfield.
The lone senior on the Lady Tiger roster is Rebecca Wood, who scored 10 goals and handed out five assists. Like Coats and Mayes, Wood splits time between soccer and cross country.
She missed six weeks over the summer while attending the Governor’s Scholars Program.
“Rebecca is Rebecca. You don’t have to you don’t have to worry about her not doing what she’s supposed to do. She’s just solid and she’ll help Grace tons by playing right beside her and constantly talking to her,” Addison said.
Hopkinsville opens its 2024 season at home on Tuesday with Logan County before traveling to Lyon County on Thursday. Addison is hoping to hit the ground at full speed this week.
“I’ve been really pleased with them. They’re good kids. I don’t have any problem children. I just have to keep them going, motivating them to go full 100% instead of going 75 to 80%.”
CHRISTIAN COUNTY (7-13)
In what was supposed to be a lean first year for coach Peyton Moshier, the Lady Colonels won seven matches in 2023 before bowing to Hopkinsville 6-2 in the district semifinals.
But two weeks ago, Moshier wasn’t sure if the program would have enough players to field a team this season.
“We only had 10 girls out there and I had a couple from last year quit. I put an all-call out and had my girls do word of mouth, just anything and everything I could do to get numbers, and we got them,” he said.
He knows replacing Alaya Lander and Cayleigh Clay, who graduated with 24 of the team’s 35 goals from last year, will be a tough task.
“We were pretty ball dominant (with them), but I think we will be a lot better all around this year. We want to play with speed and aggressiveness. We want to play fast, and we want to play hard,” Moshier said.
Jayda Turner, last year’s primary goalie, will be moved to forward along with Carliah Hobson, who scored six goals last year.
Jayleigh Campbell will also help move the offense in the midfield.
Katelyn Cain is among the main returners on defense with Moshier still undecided on who will replace Turner in goal.
The Lady Colonels will also be helped with the addition of Guadalupe Munoz, who comes to soccer from volleyball, and NeZiyah Bell.
“Our ball movement and our connections have looked well in the preseason, but spacing needs work. For the most part, they have picked it up pretty well in practice.
With the addition of the newcomers and the returning starters, Moshier is hoping the Lady Colonels can play the part of spoiler and get back to the region tournament for the first time in four years.
“I think that for us at this point in our program making it there would be phenomenal for us.”
The Lady Colonels open their season Tuesday at Paducah Tilghman and will return home on Thursday to host Logan County.
FORT CAMPBELL (2-11)
The start of the 2023 season came down to the wire for the Lady Falcons, who were able to get just enough players on the roster and play.
It was a bumpy season that ended with just two wins – both by forfeits.
Julie Stultz takes the helm of the Lady Falcons in 2024 and said numbers aren’t an issue this season although they will only be playing at the varsity level.
Anna Allen returns for the Lady Falcons after leading the squad in scoring each of the past two seasons. The junior scored 22 goals as a sophomore in 2022.
“She’s a senior, a team captain, and will be essential for getting the ball into the back of the net for us this season,” Stultz said.
Alexa Aubuchon, Abby Allen, and Myla Sawyer will be expected to hold down the midfield for the Lady Falcons.
“They know their role is to support both the offense and defense and these girls have something that you can’t teach – speed,” Stultz said.
The first-year coach is expecting improvement in a defense that saw goals allowed per game more than double to nearly seven.
“I’m looking for big things from our defenders on the line — Eliza Allen, Grace Stultz, Morgan Aubuchon, and Alysa Garcia.
Also back for the Lady Falcons is Avaley Moore who has earned captain’s stripes.
There has not only been a learning curve for the players in the preseason but also for Stultz, who took the job late in the summer.
“My priority has been conditioning and getting to know the players and where I think they will be best suited on the field,” Stultz. “Once the games start, I will be looking to lock down their permanent place on the field so we can focus more on strategy”
Fort Campbell opens the 2024 season at home Tuesday against Russellville.
