Ark Valley News - Valley soccer looks to shine

Front from left: Emily Breault, Jadyn Eddy, Kimberly Dick, Bethany Reeves, Kennedy Weaver, Evann Shelton, Sammy Boese. Second row from left: Emma Girtz, Alexis Wolff, Rachel Binau, Hannah Warden, Maria Vega, Sydney Martens, Mikayla Vega, Cheyenne Lisle. Third row from left: Hannah Arneson, Davinna Farney, Jaidyn Stokes, Ariel Wolff, Jessica Sharp, Natalie John, Sydney Wilson, Savannah Farney. Fourth from left: Kara Harden, Zayda Perez, Faith Stacy, Katlynn Owens, Kaeli Gard, Mindy Kuertz, Lauren Tucker, Emmie Boese. Back from left: Coach Steen Danielsen, managers Hannah Love, Lily Wiedeman, Carina Jaso, Hayleigh Jensen and Macey Crawford and coach Holle McQuitty.

Valley soccer looks to shine
By Taylor Messick
Last Updated: March 31, 2016

There are high hopes for this year's Valley Center High School soccer team. The Hornets will try to improve on their 13-4-2 record from a season ago, when they also finished 3-2-1 in league play. The girls made it all the way to the 5A state quarterfinals, where they lost 3-2 to Maize South.

The team only lost one senior in starter Abbie Lawrence. The Hornets return three seniors and a whopping eight juniors. A number of those upper-classmen are returning after being recognized with all-league honors last year. Senior Kennedy Weaver and juniors Bethany Reeves, Jadyn Eddy and Ariel Wolff were all members of the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League II first team. Junior Mikayla Vega was second-team all-league, while junior Sammy Boese earned honorable mention.

With that type of firepower returning, coach Steen Danielsen doesn't anticipate having to move too many people around. Instead, he hopes to focus on improving his strong veteran team's fundamentals even more to strengthen their ability to control games.

"We didn't play perfect soccer last year," he said. "Things are going to look very similar but I'm going to encourage them to be stewards of the game. I want them to understand why they're playing the positions they are, rather than having them go out and kick the ball around. We will be more intentional about how we set things up."

Other key contributors who have returned this season to provide a boost for the Hornets are seniors Kim Dick and Evann Shelton. Both expected to see substantial minutes again this season. Junior Hannah Arneson and sophomores Emma Girtz and Sydney Martens will also play key roles on this year's squad.

A notable addition to this year's team is assistant coach Holle McQuitty. McQuitty is a Valley Center native who joins the team as a JV coach and varsity assistant after the departure of assistant coach Bryan Heinz, who moved following last season.

Valley Center has already played three games this season, and started 2-1. The girls lost the season-opener to Newton on March 22 and then beat Salina South and Mulvane on March 24 and March 29, respectively. The Hornets will now begin a streak of four consecutive home games, starting with Buhler on April 4. Following those games, they will play six league matches in a row, beginning at Andover Central on April 18.