The first season of Sun Prairie East girls soccer in the spring of 2023 was a bit of a rollercoaster. The Cardinals posted a 6-11-2 overall record, including a solid 4-6 mark in Big Eight conference play. This came despite only three players on the roster having varsity experience following the split of Sun Prairie High School.
A similar case will transpire this season. Those three returning players from last season, seniors Lucy Strey, Jerzey Ladwig, and Camilla Mariona, all earned all-conference honors before graduation. Two more honorable mention all-conference selections, forward Shaela Elert and midfielder Emlyn Knutson, are focusing on track & field in their junior seasons.
Still, East has double the returning experience for the spring of 2024 with six returning varsity contributors. But, head coach Matt Cleveland has zero seniors on his roster this season. This has presented the program with a unique opportunity, one that coaches and players alike are excited to experiment with.
“I don’t really know what to expect, but I like that,” coach Cleveland said. “We have a very dedicated group. They like the forward motion of the program. They want to keep moving forward and growing together. There’s a big concentration on culture. This group has already matured quite a lot, and we’re hopeful for what the future holds. We have nothing to lose.”
An obvious leader of the program for the next two years will be junior goalkeeper Cari Whetten. She transferred into East as a sophomore last season and took the Big Eight conference by storm, earning first team all-conference honors.
Her numbers speak for themselves. She allowed either one or no goals in nine of the Cardinals’ 19 games and only let in two goals in seven more. Perhaps most important was her ability to step up when the pressure was highest. Whetten only allowed one goal against Big Eight conference champion Madison West and two each in the Cardinals’ two meetings with Madison Memorial. She also came up with some clutch saves in the team’s home loss to conference runner-up Verona, as well.
There will be some familiar names from last season joining Whetten on the pitch, as well. Junior midfielder Zella Cleveland scored four goals last season. The defense has returning contributors like junior Charlotte Barrett and sophomore Leah Triebel.
Overall, Sun Prairie East will be very young with six freshmen and five sophomores on the current varsity roster. Cleveland, his coaching staff, and his players remain optimistic. There’s a certain energy of excitement surrounding the program, one that offers an opportunity to learn and grow together for quite a long time.
“The kids have really bought into the system,” coach Cleveland said. “The building really started last year, but we can develop skills and form really tight relationships within this group. The girls play for each other, and we’ll have a few years of that. While some games may not go our way, I’m confident they’ll battle for each other and put in a good effort.”
The Cardinals’ new season will hopefully kick off this weekend, weather permitting, with a home quad at Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium. East will clash with Watertown first on Friday, April 5 at 7 PM, followed by a matchup with DeForest the next day at 1 PM. Big Eight conference play won’t start until Thursday, April 18 with a trip to Janesville Parker.
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