Columbus North’s Allison Kolhouse, in black, redirects a corner kick with her hip to score a goal against Seymour Aug. 22, 2024 at the BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus.
The Republic file photo
The Columbus North girls soccer team is coming off a productive season, while Columbus East will look to bounce back under a new coach and Hauser seeks to build after debuting its program last fall.
Here is a look at those and other area teams heading into the 2025 season:
Columbus North
The Bull Dogs went 13-3-1, including 4-1 in Conference Indiana, with both non-conference losses coming against Center Grove. They’ll have a chance to see the Trojans again when they open the season at home Aug. 18.
“We’re excited for the season,” North coach David Young said. “Excitement is high on the team, and I think a lot of that, is the girls have been working hard. They’ve been working hard this summer, and they see the progress that they’ve made. They’re just ready to go. We’re looking forward to next Monday.”
The Bull Dogs return not one, but two Republic Girls Soccer Players of the Year in 2023 honoree Avery Baker, now a junior, and last year’s winner Allison Kolhouse, now a senior. Baker led the team with nine goals last year, while Kolhouse added seven, mostly off set pieces.
Kolhouse likely will move from center back to the defensive midfield position. Senior Brooklyn Pendleton returns at the other center back, where she could be joined by junior Adi Butcher. Seniors Gabby Spurgeon and Hayden Bigler are back at outside back.
Junior Danica Hoehn returns in goal, along with senior backup Gabby Revell.
Junior Grace Merritt returns in the center midfield, and junior Evelin Lopez steps in at attacking center mid. Baker will be joined at forward by junior Rachel Fulp and sophomore Grace Bethuram.
Junior Riley Sims and Lily Ryan also will play forward, junior Emerson Chambers will see action at forward or on defense and freshman Lexi Roukas, junior Aliyah Young and sophomore Rosie Brockhaus could play in the midfield. Juniors Sabrina Portaluppi, Alex Sawin, IreLynn McAlister and freshman Mila Begley also could see action.
“We had a good summer, lots of growth for the team and the girls,” David Young said. “We learned a lot about who we are. The nice thing about this group is really, they’ve come together. It’s probably the tightest group I’ve had. They just go out and battle for each other, and it’s really nice to see.”
Columbus East
Grace Manning takes over for longtime coach Ilya Schwartzman following a 2-14-1, season that included a 1-4-1 record in the Hoosier Hills Conference.
“First and foremost, I want the girls to feel good about their season,” Manning said. “I want them to want to be there, to enjoy themselves and to feel like I’m promoting a healthy environment for them. After that, I really think that we can have a winning season.”
Manning plans to use a 4-3-3 alignment, with sophomore Cara Veach in goal. Veach split time with senior Emma Christie last year, with Christie playing at forward when she wasn’t in goal.
Columbus East’s Sophie Glick, right, and Hauser’s Abigayle Trotter battle for the ball Sept. 19, 2024 at BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus.
The Republic file photo
Christie and senior Natasha Armstrong, who also saw some time in goal last season, will be the forwards. Senior Sophie Glick, who led the Olympians with four goals, will team with freshman Hannah Weidner and sophomore Lilah Glick in the midfield.
Seniors Morgan Scott and Cadence Zeser and junior Bree Hatcher all played center back last season. Zeser could play outside back this year.
Seniors Jo Conrad, Ella Garn, Meg Going and Paige Loichinger and juniors Marley VanEst and Gigi Ghuman, also saw varsity action last season. Sophomore Bryn Anderson and senior Addi Broaddus are up from the JV.
East picked up a pair of juniors in Audrey Bush, who played volleyball the past two years, and Cecelia Pollert, a transfer from North. Freshman Sophia Pushor also will look to make an immediate contribution.
“I think everything has been real promising,” Manning said. “We’ve had some girls even that were JV players that have improved quite a bit over the summer, and they’re going to be on the varsity squad this year. I think everyone is improving very well, and I’m looking forward to the season.”
Hauser
The Jets went 3-12-4 in their first year of competition under coach Kristy Madden.
“I see a big difference from the beginning of last year to this year, just in terms of staying focused on the game and asking good questions on how they can improve doing things outside of practice to make themselves better,” Madden said. “Overall, I feel like we’re in a better position this year than we were last year.”
Sophomore Addyson Russell, a state qualifier in track this spring, returns at forward, where she will be joined by freshman Liv Read. Juniors Kennedy Konradi, Katherine Price, Abigayle Trotter, Madison Mann and Brylee Dalton also saw plenty of action last season.
“I’m still trying people at different positions,” Madden said.
Freshmen Addy Crowder and Lylah Konradi are battling for the goalkeeping job. Sophomore Abby Toole also could see action, along with several other young players on the senior-less team.
“We are very young,” Madden said. “We have a lot of freshmen, which is very promising just for building the girls program. It’s kind of a building year, but I see so much promise already in their effort and their dedication and just their willingness to try to get better.”
Jennings County
The Panthers were hit hard by graduation, losing seven seniors from a team that went 6-9-2, including 3-1-2 in the HHC.
“It’s definitely a younger group, but a group of freshmen that are coming in with playing experience and a high soccer IQ,” Jennings coach Olivia Owens said.
Sophomore Sophie Lazcano returns at forward and will be joined by junior Alondra Zarate.
Senior Chloe Franks is back at outside midfield, where she will be joined by seniors Ceirra Phillips and Jhosie Flores.Sophomore Mookky Ratcliff moves from center back to center mid, where she will team with freshman Whitney Barber.
Junior Audrey McDonald returns at outside back, and senior Katherine Brunner and freshman Delaynee Ritz step in at center back. Sophomore Annabelle Littiken takes over in goal.
“It is a rebuilding year, but what we lack in experience, we make up for in soccer IQ,” Owens said. “We have players that just maybe understand the game a bit better.”
Brown County
The Eagles will look to improve on a 3-7 record, including a 1-4 mark in the Western Indiana Conference
“We had a pretty good offseason, good turnouts by the girls for the summer workouts,” Brown County coach David Phelps said. “We had a good group of freshmen last year that got a lot of playing time, and they are looking much improved.”
Phelps plans to switch to a 4-5-1 alignment, with senior Hailey Wampler at forward. Senior Jordan Nicols returns in the midfield, where she will be joined by sophomores Allison Blee and Grace George.
Senior Gracie VanZuiten is back at center back and will team with sophomore Brooklyn Connor. Sophomore Olivia Vitale takes over in goal.
Several other players are battling for the remaining positions.
“We’re going to play a little different formation this year and play to our strengths,” Phelps said. “We have a lot of defensive minded players, so we’re going to try to play that up a little bit.”
Trinity Lutheran
The Cougars went 5-11-2 last season, led by 17 goals from then-freshman forward Anyah Carrigan.
Returning along with Carrigan are seniors Addison Garcia and Bailey Reimer in midfield, juniors Zoe Croquart and Taylor Kramer at center back, sophomore Keren Lewis and junior Olivia Pollert at outside back and senior Hannah Helt in goal.
Junior Katie Masters will play in the midfield and on defense, while freshmen Laynie Barnes and Sydni Wolfe step in at forward, freshmen Lila Jung and Aylin Aguilar in the midfield and freshman Savannah Kramer and junior Kenzie Pumphrey on defense. Junior Katie Malone also could see action at forward.
“We’re working on the basics,” Trinity coach Emilee Lang said. “The girls are doing pretty good. We were pretty young last year, so I’m excited to see what we have returning, and we also have some incoming freshmen, so I’m excited to see what this year holds.”
