Top players, outlook for Bloomington area high school girls soccer teams in 2024

It's a fresh start for the Bloomington North girls soccer program this year with a new coaching staff and a lot of new faces slated to be in the lineup as well.

Samantha (Morrison) MacNeil sees that as a good thing heading into the 2024 season.

"We get to build from the ground up," she said. "A new coaching staff and young team allows us to be unpredictable and adaptable on the pitch."

Newly drawn-up sectional assignments for girls' soccer are set to begin this fall. In Class 3A, North and South will compete at Terre Haute North with Bedford North Lawrence, Martinsville and Terre Haute South. And in 2A, Edgewood and Owen Valley will face host Cascade, Danville, Northview and West Vigo.

This year also marks the end of the long-running Hoosier Cup Tournament that overran Karst Farm Park fields on Labor Day weekend. North will now host a couple of four-team invitationals, one for boys on Aug. 31 and girls on Sept. 7.

Here's a look at our area teams:

Bloomington North

HEAD COACH: Samantha MacNeil, 1st year. LAST YEAR: 7-9-2, 1-3-1 CI. RETURNING STARTERS: Erica Urheim; Heidi Chambre.

OUTLOOK: Another half-dozen players are back from last year but it leaves little varsity experience to bank on. That said, Daphne Wright opted to join the club program at Indy Eleven (Indiana Fire) after a strong freshman season and is back with the Cougars. So the rebuild is on in all phases. Both backup goal keepers are back in Samantha Shupert and Isobel O'Leary looking to take over the top spot. Also on last year's roster were Saanvi Patel, Hattie Wisler, Lena Henschel and Delaney Edwards.

MacNeil also sees Caroline Farmer, Haeli Chambre, Quinn Wilson, Mafer Ramos Vargas, Camilla Ensign, Liz Garrow, and Marie Estivill-Kilmer vying for playing time.

"The style of play we are looking for is high pressure and possession-based," MacNeil said. "I want to create a positive team culture that helps the girls build confidence in themselves and as a team. I want to create an environment in which the girls are excited to play the game and want to work hard for themselves and each other."

Bloomington South

HEAD COACH: David Prall, 5th year. LAST YEAR: 18-3-1, 5-0 CI (3A state runner-up). RETURNING STARTERS: Valerie Bunde, Jr. F; Helena Cutshall, Jr. F; Paloma LaBathe, So. K; Ellie Barada, Jr. Jr.; Gianna Stanton, Sr. MF; Izzy Sweet, Jr. D; Maddie Talbot, Sr. D.

OUTLOOK: The journey starts all over again. A year ago the Panthers started their run to one of the best seasons in school history by getting better one day at a time. A lot of good talent was lost to graduation but there's plenty returning to earn South the No. 12 spot in the preseason Class 3A poll and give the team hope for another strong postseason run. They prepared for it with a busier than usual summer as Prall looks for the right fit with this group. A tough schedule includes revenge-minded Castle and Center Grove in the first couple of weeks and a big tourney in Evansville.

"I think we have a lot of experience but we have new roles for a lot of them," he said. "But they have stayed hungry. They don't seem complacent but we do have a lot of moving parts. We're really athletic, but I'm not sure how this is going to go. If we can stay together and get better every week, we'll be a tough out."

Bunde (18 goals) and Cutshall (12) were South's second- and third-leading scorers last year and are now the top two options. Barada and Stanton will be big in the midfield as will Sweet and Talbot at centerback and Talbert in front of LaBathe, who had a stellar freshman season in goal. Sophomore Ali Stolberg (MF) and senior Scout Stumpner (D) will be the top subs, with junior Elowen Wiltz and Claire Grumbling, who missed all last year with an ACL tear, will look for time up front. "I think I've got another three or four freshmen in the mix, too," Prall said. "We have some depth."

Edgewood

HEAD COACH: Brittany Tucker, 6th year. LAST YEAR: 10-7, 6-2 WIC. RETURNING STARTERS: Kimmie Franklin, Sr. CB; Zhenia Venegas, Jr. CM; Macey Crider, Jr. GK; Sophie Beatty Sr., D; Parker Witt, Jr. OM; Rayne Venegas, Sr. F; Kinsey Rose, Jr. D.

OUTLOOK: The go-to scorer over the past few years, Emma Edwards, is off to college to run track at Marian, so the Mustangs are retooling that end of the field. "We're telling the girls we've got to play a totally different style this year," Tucker said. "We've got to retrain and reteach in a different way." The roster size is down to 18 but the good news is that seven starters are back with good experience on the defensive end. Crider, in just her second year in the sport, should be a more savvy keeper this year and a better communicator. "We're rearranging our back line," Tucker said. "We're pushing people up to get some more offense. I think we'll be solid and I'm happy where we're at. It's just going to be totally different."

Franklin will now be a bigger part of the offense with Zhenia Venegas and Witt out wide and Rayne Venegas also up top. "We'll have to be more well-rounded scoring this year," Tucker said. Sophomores and freshmen will need to step up along with junior Helee Patela newcomer on defense. Tough-minded sophomore Lilly Padgett, who started some at the end of last year, will take up an outside-mid spot.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Top players, outlook for Bloomington area high school girls soccer teams in 2024