NEW: Titans, Kougars each land quartet on all-AAA squad
Drake, O'Keeffe see selections as fair representation of season
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| Damon Bell photo - Trinity Catholic's Alicia Vonderheid was one of four Titans girls soccer players selected to the all-AAA first team this season. |
Dominic won the league, going 8-0, while the next four teams in the AAA all finished with .500 records in a second-place tie.
As such, one local coach was not surprised to see the Crusaders clean up in the conference’s postseason awards, with junior Ali Bauer as the Player of the Year and Greg Bauer as the Coach of the Year, while the next four teams each got a like number of selections to the all-AAA squad.“There were four of us tied for second,” Trinity Catholic coach Vince Drake said. “We personally split our two games with each of those teams.”
The two AAA teams with local ties, Trinity and Rosati-Kain, each had four players make the top team.
“The league has this screwy system where the number of selections (corresponds) to where you finish,” Rosati-Kain coach Barry O’Keeffe said. “I am happy because I think my four best kids made the team.”
For Trinity (10-11), freshman forward Abby Whittington (eight goals, 10 assists), sophomore back Katie Arnet (two goals, two assists), junior midfielder Alicia Vonderheid (16 goals, 11 assists) and senior midfielder Ali Koerper (three goals, two assists) made the squad.
“Abby had a good second half after starting slow,” Drake said. “She was just a freshman and she started to meet some of those high expectations during the second half.
“Katie had a solid season out of the left back spot,” he continued. “She usually marked the other team’s best forward, and she did a great job. Ali and Alicia each had good seasons and Alicia was our leading scorer and even scored a goal in sectionals for us.”
Even though Drake’s Titans lost 3-2 in overtime to Westminster Christian Academy during the Class 1 sectional round, the veteran coach said he was more than happy with what his team’s season.
In Drake’s eyes, the team as a whole exceeded expectations.
“Talent-wise, up and down the depth chart, we got more out of everybody than I think people expected this season,” he said. “To end up 10-11 after starting with (nine losses out of the first 12 games) — five of those coming by one goal — was something.”
The other local team to end up with a .500 conference record at 4-4 and to land four players on the AAA first team was Rosati-Kain (11-10).
Sophomore Jessie Arras (15 goals, seven assists) and a trio of juniors in Christie Doll (one assist), Taylor Dickey (one assist) and Kelly Goehring (10 goals, eight assists) made this season’s squad.
“Kelly was the heart and soul of this team and I think the kids definitely looked to her,” O’Keeffe said. “Christie came out for tryouts and was pretty good and just continued to get better. Heather was very aggressive and was our top goal-getter and Taylor moved back to sweeper, where she played at with JV, and did real well.”
