By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Despite fielding a really young team last season, the Bolivar Lady Liberators captured their sixth-straight district title.
Coach Steve Fast said he knew he had some strong players but wasn’t sure how the season would play out because of that youth.
“With half of our starters being freshmen and sophomores last season, we felt like we might go through some growing pains early in the season,” said Fast, who enters his 27th season, seventh with the girls’ program. “But our girls started off strong, going 10-1, and we kept the momentum up for most of the season. Winning districts and advancing to another quarterfinal was a lot of fun and great experience for our team.”
Bolivar lost just three players to graduation, including the highly decorated Lexi Berry, a midfielder who scored 25 goals and had 20 assists, while earning Class 2 All-State first team, All-Region 3, Class 2 District 6 first team and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Berry, who also advanced to state in tennis with her doubles partner Megan Roberts, is now playing basketball at Evangel University.
The Lady Liberators also graduated Roberts, a midfielder who scored four goals with five assists, and defender Cara Larimore.
“These three seniors last year were some of the strongest leaders we have ever had,” Fast said. “They did a phenomenal job leading our team on and off the field. Their leadership qualities made a huge impact on our team.”
Bolivar, which finished 19-7 last year, returns eight starters – a mix of underclassmen and upperclassmen who bring playoff experience with them in their first year as a member of the Ozark Conference.
“Returning eight starters from last season is a strength for us and we are still fairly young,” Fast said. “We will likely have three senior starters and they will provide a lot of experience for our team. We bring back a lot of weapons offensively, so hopefully, we can score a lot of goals again.”
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• Claire Giglio, sophomore, forward (20 goals, 12 assists) – Class 2 District 6 first team honoree. “Claire was a real workhorse for our team,” Fast said. “She put up big numbers as a freshman and did a lot of that being double-teamed by defenders. She is aggressive, works hard and is a true team player.”
• Sahara Adams, sophomore, defender (12 goals, 8 assists) – Class 2 All-State second team; Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year; all-district first team and Defensive Player of the Year. “Sahara’s skill level is outstanding. She understands and sees the field so well. She is quite the dual threat because she can move up into the offense and get involved, as evidenced by her goals and assists last year.”
• Allison Butler, senior, goalkeeper (12 shutouts) – All-district first team and Goalkeeper of the Year. “Allison played much of the season with a rib injury, but she is tough and determined to help her team out. When needed, she would still make the great save. The injury did affect her play at times, but she showed great perseverance and had a solid season.”
• London Wilson, senior, midfielder (30 goals, 13 assists) – All-State second team; All-Region; All-district first team; Class 2 district player of the year; signed to play at University of Texas-Tyler. “London is a really dynamic player that can play multiple positions. Most of her goals came with her in the center-mid position. She is really quick, has great ball control and can finish shots.”
• Sophie Vestal, junior, midfielder (3 goals, 4 assists) – All-district first team. “Sophie really stepped up last season in the midfield for us. She did a great job holding the middle of the field while London was given more freedom to roam. She is fast and plays really smart soccer.”
• Mollie Stimpson, senior, forward (12 goals, 4 assists) – All-district second team. “Mollie is a hard worker who shows great anticipation and seems to be in the right spot a lot of times. Although she is not our main goal scorer, she proved she could score when needed.”
• Savannah Williamson, junior, defender – All-district second team. “Savannah is a tough, hard-nosed defender who likes to pass out of the back. Prior to last year, she has always been a midfielder, but we needed her to play defense last year. She did a great job adjusting and learning her new role. It will be fun to watch her grow even more this season.”
• Ese Jones – sophomore, defender – “Ese was our starting center back last year and did a great job. It was uncertain if she would play due to coming off an ACL injury. It was definitely a learning season for her in a lot of ways. With a year of experience under her belt, we look forward to having her back as a starting defender.”
Fast also has several newcomers looking to contribute on the varsity level this season in Jenna Pastore (senior defender), Reagan Hunt (junior defender), Abby Welch (junior defender), Brynley Waters (junior midfielder), Raegan Taylor (junior midfielder), Taygon Morgan (junior forward), Camryn Minor (junior forward), Mady Niven (sophomore midfielder), Ellie Thomas (sophomore defender), Ellen Garber (freshman defender), Zoey Warden (freshman goalkeeper) and Stella Scowden (freshman forward).
“Our returning upperclassmen had a solid JV season last year,” Fast said. “We are looking forward to watching them progress up into more varsity action this season. These girls will help us build depth and will be valuable to the team in their roles. Our incoming freshman class is a good class with a lot to learn. We are excited to have them, and they will provide some good minutes for our team.”
The Lady Liberators will participate in a jamboree at Lebanon with Marshfield and Crocker on March 11 and will open the regular season on the road at Warrensburg on March 18.
“We expect to play hard and be competitive,” Fast said. “As the smallest school in the OC, it will be a learning curve for us to some extent, but we play several of those teams already so that will help us adjust. If we can stay healthy and stay together, we expect to be competing for another district title.”
