By Chris Parker
Seven starters and 12 total lettermen return for Willard soccer coming off a 16-11 campaign in 2024.
“Our biggest strength will be our age,” Willard head coach Jamie Waddell said. “We are an older team with the expectation of working hard to win.”
Senior Mason Wilson returns to start at forward coming off a season where he had eight goals and 11 assists.
“Mason sees the field very well and has a great first touch on the ball,” Waddell said. “He looks to distribute the ball and puts his teammates in the best chance to be successful.”
Fellow senior Carson Loveland and sophomore Nico Molina will also factor in at forward.
Loveland scored six goals last season.
“Carson Loveland is a returning letterman who saw a lot of varsity minutes last season,” Waddell said. “After moving positions from defense to forward, Carson was able to put six goals into the back of the net. Carson has put in a ton of time in the off season working on his new position.”
Molina saw varsity action as a freshman.
“Nico Molina is another returner who saw some valuable minutes on varsity,” Waddell said. “He is another who has put in a ton of time in the off-season. He has great speed and determination to score goals. He will always work to get the ball and keep the ball.”
In the midfield, Barrett Jarvis returns as a four-year varsity starter.
“Each and every year, his game has gone to the next level,” Waddell said of Jarvis. “There is no stop in his engine. He fights extremely hard to win the ball and always finds the right pass to better his team. He will be asked to be our team leader both on and off the field.”
Fellow senior Keegan Coffey completed his first full season last year and returns to the midfield.
“Due to injuries, Keegan has been limited but he is back at full strength,” Waddell said. “He has amazing control on the ball and incredible vision of the field. He will be asked to provide complete control of the middle of the pitch.
Kyler Coffey will also play key minutes in the midfield as a sophomore.
“Kyler saw a lot of varsity minutes last season. He has put a lot of time in the weight room, gained size, and confidence,” Waddell said. “He does a great job of controlling the middle and distributing to his teammates. He works hard off the ball. He will be asked to step up even more this season and play a huge role in the success of the team.”
The backline will be senior heavy featuring Levi Spirk, Calvin Mooney and Jett Mathison.
Waddell on Sprik: “Levi is the anchor of our defense. He has incredible speed and vision. He will be asked to lead the defense both vocally and physically. He has the ability to chase anyone down, be physical and win the ball. One of our biggest keys to success is Levi controlling the back line.”
Waddell on Mooney: “Calvin has fantastic knowledge of the game. He makes great runs up the field to support and even to score. He finds a way to get involved in the offense in almost every situation. He has been a great leader in the off-season stepping up when needed.”
Waddell on Mathison: “Jett put in countless hours last off-season, which is why he earned a starting spot as a junior. Going into his senior season, he hasn’t slowed down. Jett is a work horse that never quits on a play. With one full starting season under his belt, Jett will be asked to provide more vocal leadership in the back.”
David Lawson will be back in net at goalkeeper.
“At 6’4”, David has the ability to cover almost the entire goal,” Waddell said. “Last season, David stepped up his vocal role. He provided the voice we needed in the back. He reads the field well and makes great 1v1 decisions. He is the current shutout record holder for career (14) and holds the current shutouts in a season record (9). He did both of this with only 1.5 seasons at the helm.”
This year’s team will go as the seniors do.
“We are a senior heavy team this year,” Waddell said. “All of them will be asked at some point to stand up and be a leader, whether that is vocally or visually. All of them know the expectations of the program and will be expected to model that and teach the younger players. They have all been in the program for four years, they know how to work both on and off the field.”
Part of that leadership will be displaying a stronger mental game.
“The biggest place we will need to improve is mentally,” Waddell said. “We have the skillset to win games, but it will be the mental part to stay in that game to get the job done. With our success last season, our players believe we can and will compete in every game.”
Willard opens the season on Aug. 29 at Logan-Rogersville.
“Our expectation for this season is to improve on our 16-11 season from last year,” Waddell said. “The COC is a very tough conference, but we believe we can compete for a COC West conference title. But the main expectation would be to win a district title. We believe we have a team that could get us that.”
