By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The 2022 season was a season of growth for the Joplin Lady Eagles and coach Josh Thompson looks for that growth to carry over to this season.
The Lady Eagles’ defense made vast improvements by allowing almost 30 fewer goals than in 2021 and helping the offense score 14 more goals than the previous season.
“Four overtime losses made our record look worse than what the girls were producing on the field,” said Thompson, who enters his fifth season as head coach. “Playing in close games is a great learning experience, and we were in a lot of those last year.”
Joplin finished 9-9 overall and 2-7 in the Central Ozark Conference and lost to Nixa in the first round of the Class 4 District 5 Tournament.
“Hopefully, the girls come into this year with a chip on their shoulder to finish more of those games on top,” Thompson said. “Everyone did an excellent job last year learning situational soccer. The girls defended with all their hearts as a full team when the occasion called for it, then put everything forward to goal when it was needed. Bringing adaptability like that to this season will give us a competitive edge.”
The Lady Eagles return seven key players, including three defenders and three seniors.
• Ashley Phillips, junior defender. “Ashley has been a varsity contributor since her freshman year,” Thompson said. “She is a strong athlete with a desire to get better every day.”
• Ava Foust, sophomore forward. “Ava is a highly skilled player who had a huge impact on our team last year as a freshman. She is as big a threat to score as she is to find a teammate for a goal.”
• Denise Trejo, junior defender. “Denise is a smart defender who brings composure to our defense. She also has great vision and passing skills that help us move the ball out of the back.”
• Jayla Hunter, senior defender; named honorable mention all-district. “Jayla is a fierce competitor with the athleticism to match. She was the key to our defense last year and will carry that into this year, as well.”
• Masyn Briggs, junior midfielder. “Masyn has helped the team everywhere on the pitch. She has always been a strong passer and defender, but she has shown great leadership this offseason.”
• Paisley Parker, senior midfielder; first-team all-district, second-team all-conference. “Paisley has been a fixture of the varsity side since her freshman year. She is foundational to what we want to do as a team with her ability to patrol so much of the midfield and contribute as a goal scorer.”
• Sage Mitchell, senior forward. “Sage has played varsity since her sophomore season. She is an insanely fast player and has spent time this offseason training to be a big contributor this year.”
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Thompson has a group of sophomore and junior newcomers, including one player returning from injury, who could also make some noise on varsity this season.
• Averi Burks, junior forward. “Averi has improved her skill on the ball and will be looking to help out on the wings this season with a keen eye for advancing the ball out of a press.”
• Jasmine Kilafwa, sophomore midfielder. “Jasmine has put in a ton of work this offseason to improve her skill and game IQ. She will help give us depth in a crucial midfield role.”
• Libby Munn, sophomore defender. “Libby learned a lot last year and was able to help at the district game. This year, she will have an even bigger opportunity to help shore up our defense.”
• Roody Blaise, sophomore defender. “Roody impressed last year with her athleticism and effort. This year, she will have the opportunity to take another step forward as a player.”
• Zayda Derganc, junior forward. “Zayda was a big part of last year’s success until injuries prevented her from continuing. This year, she will hopefully be able to continue where she left off last year.”
“I would expect defending to be a strength of ours this year,” Thompson said. “We are returning a lot of talent in that area. The girls really work hard for each other.
“We have had good offseason participation. They are a fun group to be around and everyone keeps the team’s best interest at heart.”
Joplin will have several offensive holes to fill with the graduation of six players and another loss to injury.
• Ella Hafer (forward) – Earned first-team all-district and second-team all-conference honors and was the Team MVP; playing basketball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. “Ella was the focal point of our offense and losing her will change the way we play.”
• Emily Delman (midfielder) – An all-district selection. “Emily played a big role in protecting our back line from her holding position. She led the team with toughness.”
• Grace Gordon (forward) – Playing at Crowder College. “Grace was the thunder to Ella’s lightning. She had good strength and speed and was a big part of the team scoring more goals last year.”
• Kayla Talbot (forward) – Playing at Crowder College. “Kayla was asked to help out everywhere on the field, and she did well wherever she went.”
• Madi Corl (defender) – “Madi helped stabilize our defense by the end of the season last year and will be a hard personality to replace.”
• Morgan Ferro (midfielder) – “Morgan is expected to miss this season with an injury. She has been a varsity standout since her freshman year. Her presence on the field will be missed, but we are glad to still have her as a part of the team!”
• Sophia Schwartz (goalkeeper) – “Sophia stepped up in the middle of the season last year when called upon. We will miss the experience in net.”
The Lady Eagles will participate in a jamboree at Carl Junction with Carthage and Webb City on March 14 before opening the regular season at Nixa on March 28.
“My expectations are that we pick up where we left off last season,” Thompson said. “We should return a strong defense and be able to put on efficient attacking displays. The hope is that we learn from all the close games last year and prove to be a tougher team because of it.”
