2020 Preview

Saints Soccer 2020 loads into the yellow submarine of this girls' season to launch the final season for Coach Ewing who will be coaching his 32nd girls' season in the 32nd year of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

We are coming off a State Runner-up in 2019, off an amazing playoff run. So momentum is great.  Kyli Jackson, however, our first-team All-State, USC Academic All American plays at Missouri State now and our All-State Defensive Center-mid is playing club soccer—so we do have a couple of giant holes to fill.

But we do return first-team All-State, USC region-team, and leading scorer (Missouri State Commit) Grace O'Keefe at the 10, and we do return college signee (Colorado Christian University) Skylee Deladurantye at the 8. So the midfield should be pretty solid.  We are moving sophomore, Sporting Blue Valley player, Leah Holton, to the 6. We are hoping for great play from her there as she has size, athleticism, and skill. With both sophomore Mia Del Popolo and junior Claire Innes (shootout-ending PK vs. Southwest) coming off the bench, we should develop into another very good midfield.

Despite losing almost all of our backline, we do bring back one of the top goalies in the Metro in junior Taylor James (a Rockhurst University commit). I don't know who was playing better than her at the end of 2019.  We also return senior Kate Muckerman to left-back where she dominated last year after moving there at midseason. We also are moving sophomore Assa Kante back to her natural position at centerback. She should be one of the KC Metro greats this year.  Junior Patti Ehrnman played some center-mid for us last year, but she will start at her natural centerback position.  She is a heady player. And add Megan Whorley in at right-back, a player with center-mid touch, and we believe we will have one all-together defense. We also have junior Gabby Mazzarese and freshman Hannah Dunfee to contribute big minutes in the back as well. 

Up top we look to a triumphant return from injury of senior Maggie Ryan—she can score goals—and senior Emily Nielsen who is coming off a great club season at the 9.  We should be strong on the flanks as well.  Missouri-State commit, Gabi Cox, and junior Trinity Kemp should start for us—both can make magic around the baseline, with junior Ellie Temple and sophomore Ella Gregovich providing big minutes as well.

We are going to be tested early, late, and all in-between on this journey as the EKL is as strong as I remember it.  And the Mo-Kan floats in both SM East and Olathe West this year—both top-5 teams in Kansas. And yes Sion, Teresa, Park Hill, and Lee's Summit North return. So. Wow.

We also will head back to Iowa to take on several nationally ranked teams. So put on your life jackets as this is going to be one crazy ride.

We bring back as good of assistant coaching staff as there is in the area.  Coach Chuck Hammons who coaches our highly recognized defense is back for season 26. 26. BWhite (who specializes in developing strikers) comes back for year 16. Erin Lemon (formerly Ellefson), who also coaches at Rockhurst University, will return for her 10th season to shape our midfield.  And not too many high school programs offer up a former college goalkeeper who graduated as a first-team all-state Saint, but we can, in Jessica Teahan. She will coach our keepers.

Will Ragsdale will again coach our JV, and Eric Ewing returns to handle all C-team duties. Both produced great seasons in 2019.

So with the final 4 back in Kansas City this year (Spring Hill), we really want to make our way to that special port in May where anything can happen. You always have to play your best at the end, but we feel if we stay together; players, parents, and coaches this season, we can dock there. And once you're there, anything can happen, even State Title number 17.