PLAYERS TO WATCH
(in alphabetical order)
Adison Cook, West Geauga: In a turbulent season for the Wolverines, this junior midfielder and Division II first-team player from Cleveland impressed with 16 goals and eight assists, showing speed, 1-on-1 skill and a lot of potential for further improvement.
Bella DiGeronimo, Gilmour: The Lancers’ attack will look very different without Addie Nemeth and Brooklyn Steiner, but this junior midfielder showed unusual playmaking ability for her age with 14 assists last fall and will ease the transition into a new era.
Ava Gabriel, Wickliffe: There is probably no better or more complementary pair of forwards locally in terms of speed and power than Tiana Torrence and this veteran player who provides the latter in that combination, scoring 21 goals and 12 assists so far for a team that finished second in District D-III with a 17-2 record.
Averie Hull, Mentor: This junior defenseman was a key figure in the Cardinals’ DI opener in the Sweet 16, showing composure on the defensive line and scoring two goals and six assists on offense, earning him a second-team selection by the News-Herald.
Taryn Kozak, Beaumont: In a starting line-up filled with youth players a year ago, this young striker showed plenty of finishing ability, scoring 16 goals – and if she continues to develop her skills, she could get even better.
Kelly McCandless, Berkshire: The McCandless era continues in Burton and remains in solid hands with this young forward, who was selected to Cleveland’s D-II first team after scoring 18 goals and 14 assists in 2023 – with her skills and statistically plenty of room for improvement for 2024.
Reese Meister, Madison: One of the News-Herald’s most dynamic and quick 1v1 players on the wings, this veteran forward is looking to write a big final chapter after a 23-goal, 11-assist season that saw her named a News-Herald first-team all-star last year.
Bella Radomsky, Chagrin Falls: This veteran senior forward has been a constant throughout the seasons for the Tigers. She’s a versatile mainstay who scored eight goals last fall and has been reliable since she was a ninth-grader on the 2021 D-II state championship team.
Jordan Rowan, Perry: Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to this veteran forward and returning D-II All-Ohioan is that many teams try to take her out of the game because of her special work ethic and ability to work with both feet in tight spaces – and yet she has 37 goals and seven assists in 2023 and has the potential to produce similar or better results this season.
Tiana Torrence, Wickliffe: The speed part of the aforementioned forward combination of speed and power with Gabriel in the Blue Devils’ attack is this nimble junior forward who scored 19 goals and six assists last fall and is a positional nightmare for defenders with her ability to get around the corner.
GAMES TO WATCH
Kenston in Berkshire (August 27), Mayfield in Madison (August 29), Chagrin Falls in West Geauga (August 29), Chagrin Falls in Gilmour (August 29), Twinsburg in Mentor (August 29), Chagrin Falls in Kenston (September 5th), Mayfield in Mentor (September 7th), Gilmour in Twinsburg (September 7th), NDCL in Chagrin Falls (September 9th), Beaumont in Gilmour (September 10th), Mentor in Perry (September 12th). . September), Gilmour at Kenston (September 12), Chardon at Mentor (September 14), Kirtland at Chagrin Falls (September 16), Canfield at West Geauga (September 18), Berkshire at Kirtland (September 19) , Bay in Gilmour (23 September), NDCL in Wickliffe (24 September), Perry in Berkshire (28 September), Wickliffe in Kirtland (30 September), Madison in Berkshire (October 1), Madison in Chardon (October 3), Mayfield in West Geauga (October 5), NDCL in Mentor (October 7), Madison in Perry (October 9), Mentor in West Geauga (October 9). October)
PENALTY SHOOTOUT
• There are many changes in the area’s coaching ranks. The legendary Pamela Malone has returned to the sidelines to coach Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin after a brief hiatus following her stellar career at Chagrin Falls. Malone takes over several key players returning for the Lions, including Cleveland’s 2023 DI first-team defender Lexi Dobbert. Former longtime Kenston boys coach Josh Sladick has taken over at Kirtland, succeeding Ed Bradac, who resigned after a brilliant 20-year run at the helm of the Hornets, capped by the D-III state title in 2020. The Hornets have brought Kennedy Boyd back in as goalie after she played forward in 2023 and have an athletic side.
• Berkshire has a chance to go far in the new DV postseason under McCandless. The Badgers have a younger roster after the graduation of Evania McCandless, Alyssa Lawson and others. But if a 3-1 win over Wickliffe on Friday night was any indication, this group can operate with intent and efficient combination work through its offensive third while an ever-evolving group maintains its form in the defensive third.
• Madison could improve on last year’s 11-win season. In addition to Meister, Lillia Van Kirk had a stellar season as a junior, scoring 11 goals and 7 assists. Goalie Taylor MacAdam continues to develop well and is becoming one of our region’s best players at the position. The Blue Streaks also welcome back the versatile Zoey Deligianis, who should be a difference-maker in the defensive third.
• Perry returns much of the backbone of the 13-5-1 team in 2023. Rowan is considered a top player on the Pirates for good reason, given her talent. But Andora Porcello (seven goals, 10 assists) and Ally Hopkins (3-11) also showed promise in the midfield, among other players on the team. And this team will have no shortage of motivation after a heartbreaking postseason exit to Streetsboro, in which the eventual game-winning goal was incorrectly awarded to the Rockets by officials who believed a shot went under the crossbar and through a hole in the net. Video evidence showed the ball had clearly been hit over the crossbar, hit the goal post and instead came to rest behind the net.
• Speaking of motivated teams, Wickliffe will fall into that category after the Blue Devils suffered a gruesome shootout loss to Apple Creek Waynedale in the 2023 D-III district championship final as they sought their first regional berth in girls soccer in school history. No doubt All-Ohio midfielder Eliza Wills and the program’s longtime Swiss Army knife Annabella Stoehr will be missed after they graduate. But with so much experience and such a strong forward duo in Gabriel and Torrence, Wickliffe will once again aim high.
• A Mentor team without 2023 News-Herald Women’s Soccer Player of the Year Jill Medvecky in goal doesn’t feel right. But still, a new chapter awaits the Cardinals, not only because Medvecky’s era is coming to an end, but because they have only eight 2023 varsity goals in their starting lineup. Mentor has looked good in early clean sheets wins over Chagrin Falls (2-0), Riverside (5-0) and Green (1-0). Senior Mackenzie Culler is a stabilizing force in the midfield. The offense is generally younger but promising. So all in all, the Cardinals can be trusted to get it done as they look to build on their 14-win Division DI regional sweep from last year.
• If you’re looking for a breakout candidate in our covered area, it could be Beaumont. Though they were coming off an 11-win season, the Blue Streaks were super young a year ago but showed glimpses of a team that could pose a real challenge with a litany of options on offense. Kozak is the primary finisher, and juniors Alaina Longmeier (7-11) and Cassidy McDonald (5-9) are developing and capable in their own ways. Julia Beard, who was named to the D-II All-Cleveland first team last fall, is rock-solid as an anchor defender.
• Chardon will also look different without Teagan Sprague and Skylar Duval-Lewis leading the attack. But Micah Tager has the size and game to build on an eight-goal, five-assist season as a freshman in 2023, and Hilltoppers coach Chad Johnston is encouraged by his defensive third group, which includes defenseman Jayne Fullerman and goalie Haidyn Bunker. Chardon should be an exciting team to watch develop over the next few years.
• Mayfield is also starting largely fresh with a young team after his 12-win season in 2023. However, a 1-0 win over the usually impressive Avon Lake to start and a 0-0 draw with NDCL were positive signs. Wildcats coach Ivica Miljak is one of the best in his field in the coverage area rankings and will keep his team competitive and at crop level as always.
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