2021 Spring Preview: Willard Girls Soccer

o-zone-ozone-24

By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

After having served as an assistant coach at Willard for the past six years, Jamie Waddell takes the over reins of the Lady Tigers program this spring.

And, as a member of the Willard coaching staff, Waddell witnessed the heartbreak of the 2020 season being taken away at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I feel bad for the students/athletes for losing a year of playing high school sports,” Waddell said. “Not only the seniors losing their final year, but also the underclassmen losing a year of development.

“We went into the season with high expectations. We felt as a coaching staff that we had a favorable district. It would have been very competitive, but we felt that with a good season, we could have competed for a district title. Our conference is always strong with teams like Ozark, Nixa, Republic and Branson. We probably would have finished about where we usually do, around the middle of our conference.”

The Lady Tigers, who finished 14-11 overall and 6-3 in the Central Ozark Conference in 2019, lost only two players from the Class of 2020 in all-district first-team and all-conference honorable mention defender Katelyn Kershner and forward Kristina Yonke, and appear to be in good position heading into 2021.

Willard returns a strong core that Waddell will be counting on to lead this season.

• Regan Puckett, senior, defender – Was a Class 3 District 11 first-team and All-COC second-team selection in 2019. “Regan has been a vital part of our offseason this year,” Waddell said. “She has been providing some very strong senior leadership.”
• Jada Holloman, senior, forward – The Loyola-Chicago signee scored 22 goals and had 16 assists in 2019, while earning all-district first-team and all-conference second-team honors. “Jada is a game-changer type player. She works extremely hard both during practices and games. She will be required to carry a heavy load this season when it comes to leadership and goal scoring.”
• Ashlin Howell, senior, defender – The all-district second-team honoree has committed to Southwest Baptist University. “Ashlin is the type of player whose work ethic is amazing. Over the past four years, she has worked extremely hard trying to perfect her skills. She is a very coachable player and will do whatever it takes to be successful.”
• Rylie Salyers, a senior goalkeeper, had seven shutouts in 2019 and has signed to play at SBU.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF THE SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS

The newcomers the Lady Tigers have coming in give Waddell confidence heading into the season.

• Lauren Sears, senior, midfielder – “Lauren is another player who has worked very hard this offseason. She will be relied on to provide leadership.”
• Hannah Moore, a senior forward, has signed with Bethany College – “Hannah’s hard work during offseason and club has really helped mold her, which is proven with her signing with Bethany.”
• Charlae Cowan, sophomore, midfielder – “Charlae’s future in soccer looks very bright. I really wish she was able to have four years of high school to play, but she will be a very high asset for our program.”
• Kathryn Dublin, sophomore, defender – “Kathryn is a move-in to our district. She has unbelievable talent for the game. We are looking forward to having her be a part of the Willard family.”
• Madison Magee, freshman, defender – “Madison has spent many years around soccer. She is expected to step in and be an immediate impact player for us. For a freshman, she has tremendous potential that we are excited to have this season.”

With no jamboree scheduled, Willard will open the season at home against Hillcrest on March 29. Waddell, who has a record of 91-42-3 as a head coach in the Kansas City and Poplar Bluff areas, said his team is confident but not taking anything for granted.

“We as a coaching staff and our players have very high expectations,” Waddell said. “We have a solid group of seniors this season that will be asked to do a ton of work. We also have some underclassmen that will be asked to step up and fill some big roles. We are looking forward to seeing how the districts will be shaped this season. We feel that we have a strong program and could make a run at a district title.

“After missing last year, this season is a blessing. We will coach like it’s a blessing and play like it’s a blessing. Because last year has proven it can be gone quickly.”

Related Posts

Loading...