Your Prep Sports Area Girls Soccer Players to Watch This Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
Girls soccer season is here.
The season officially began on Monday with the first day of competition for teams across the state.
As the season gets underway the goal for every team is a spot at the state tournament which is schedule to be held May 31, June 2 and June 3 at Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines.
Before state tournament week arrives there will be plenty of strong soccer to watch in the Your Prep Sports area.
Here are 11 area players to watch this season in the Your Prep Sports area.
Grace Gaarde
Senior, Regina
One of the most productive goal scorers in the state over the past two seasons Gaarde is coming off the best season of her career last spring as a junior.
Gaarde scored 29 goals for the second consecutive season last spring, ranking sixth in Class 1A on her way to earning first-team all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.
The dynamic forward scored in 13 of 17 matches as a junior and scored multiple goals nine times and has scored in 26-of-34 career matches over the past two seasons.
Claire Brown
Senior, City High
Among the most dynamic players in the area Brown led City High in goals for the second consecutive season last spring on her way to earning second-team all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.
Brown ranked 16th in 3A with 18 goals a year ago and added five assists while helping City High to a 12-4 record and a spot in the regional title game.
A Western Illinois signee, Brown has scored 30 goals in 28 career matches over the past two seasons.
Morgan Link
Senior, Solon
Link followed up a strong sophomore season with an even better junior campaign leading the Spartans in goals for the second consecutive season on her way to earning second-team all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.
A strong all-around player, Link has shown an ability for finding the net the past two season scoring 48 goals in 40 career matches.
Link ranked 19th in Class 1A with 23 goals last season and added a team-high eight assists as Solon advanced to the 1A regional title game for the second consecutive season.
Rilyn Breinholt
Sophomore, Liberty High
One of the top freshmen in the state last season Breinholt will look to build on an impressive debut season in which she earned second-team Class 2A all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches association.
Breinholt ranked second on the team with 11 goals and led Liberty High with 10 assists last season to help the Lightning to a 8-10 record and a spot in the 2A substate semifinals.
The 11 goals for Breinholt last season were the most for a freshman in Liberty High history and were eighth most by a freshman in Class 2A last season.
Emma Potthoff
Sophomore, West High
After bursting onto the scene with a strong freshman season last spring Potthoff will look to emerge as one of the top area players as a sophomore.
Potthoff led West High with five assists and ranked third on the team with six goals as a freshman on her way to being named a second-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference divisional selection.
This season Potthoff will look to be an even bigger threat for West High which finished 8-8 a year ago.
Halle Bormann
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
Bormann followed up a strong freshman season with an impressive sophomore campaign a year ago helping the Clippers to a 10-8 mark.
After scoring eight goals and leading the team with nine assists as a freshman Bormann ranked second on the team with nine goals and added five assists last season.
Bormann was a first-team all-WAMAC West Division pick a year ago and is one of seven returning starters in what should be a potent Clipper lineup this spring.
Gabby Knipper
Junior, Solon
The production of Knipper alongside Link has been a big reason for the recent success for Solon the past two season as the Spartans have racked up a 30-10 record during that span while advancing to back-to-back regional title matches.
Knipper ranked third on the team with seven goals and was third with six assists from her spot in the midfield last season helping the Spartans to a 16-4 record.
Maya Marquardt
Junior, Liberty High
As Breinholt emerged as the headliner of the Liberty High attack last season Marquardt was establishing herself as the stalwart of the Liberty High defense.
Already a two-year starter Marquardt earned second-team all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association last season as a defender after helping the Lightning to an 8-10 record.
This season Marquardt should be part of a strong Liberty High back line that will be operating in front of a new keeper after the graduation of four-year varsity keeper Sam Harvey.
Ava Bell
Junior, City High
Following a strong freshman season Bell emerged as one of the top threats in the City High attack last season as a sophomore earning first-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference divisional honors.
Bell scored a career-high six goals and tied for the team lead with seven assists as City High went 12-4 and advanced to the 3A regional title match.
In two seasons Bell has scored 14 goals career goals to go with 17 career assists.
Rose McAtee
Sophomore, Solon
McAtee provided a big offensive boost for Solon in her debut season ranking second on the team with 12 goals as the Spartans posted their most successful season in recent history.
In her varsity debut season McAtee ranked second on the team in shots, shots on goal and goals and added a pair of assists as Solon went 16-4 and reached the 1A regional title match.
Eva Plathe
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
A starter since her freshman season Plathe emerged as a major offensive threat for the Clippers a year ago during a breakthrough sophomore season.
Plathe ranked third on the team with eight goals and tied for the team lead with five assists last season while helping the Clippers to a 10-8 record.
A first-team all-WAMAC West Division selection look for Plathe to take another step forward this season in production.
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