Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Girls soccer season is here.

Monday marks the first day of competition for girls soccer teams around the state with the goal for every team a spot at the state tournament which is schedule for May 28, 30 and June 1.

As the season gets underway we take a look at 11 players in the Your Prep Sports area to watch during the 2024 seasons.

Rilyn Breinholt

Junior, Liberty High

Breinholt has quickly emerged as a leader for Liberty High and one of the best players in the area with back-to-back stellar seasons.

A Mississippi Valley Conference first team all-division selection and second team all-state pick by the IHSSACA last season, Breinholt has led the Lightning in assists each of the last two seasons.

Breinholt had 11 goals and 10 assists as a freshman and had 10 goals and 10 assists last season and has helped the Lightning post 17 combined wins the past two seasons, the highest win total in a two-year stretch in program history.

Eva Plathe

Senior, Clear Creek Amana

A stalwart in the Clipper lineup for the past three seasons Plathe has started 51 consecutive games to start her career.

Plathe is coming off her best season when she scored seven goals and added two assists on her way to earning first-team all-WAMAC West Division honors last season while helping Clear Creek Amana to a 5-11 record.

A Cornell College recruit, Plathe has posted 15 goals and eight assists while helping the Clippers win 30 games.

Maclayne Menzel

Senior, City High

A centerpiece of the City High lineup for the past three seasons Menzel has made 45 consecutive starts over the past three seasons while establishing herself as one of the best players in the area.

Menzel has scored 11 goals and added seven assists in three seasons in the Little Hawk lineup and is coming off the best season of her career.

Menzel had a career-high eight goals and added two assists last season on her way to earning first team Mississippi Valley Conference all-division honors.

Paz Martinez

Junior, West High

Another West High player that took a huge step forward last season, Martinez emerged as an excellent all-around player in her second season as a full-time starter.

Martinez has started 30 consecutive games and is coming off a breakthrough season in which she ranked fourth on the team in goals and tied for second with three assists.

A first-team Mississippi Valley Conference all-division pick last season, Martinez had four goals and three assists to help the Trojans to a 6-11 mark.

Rose McAtee

Junior, Solon

McAtee followed up a breakthrough freshman season with an impressive sophomore campaign ranking second on the team in goals while helping the Spartans to a 10-6 record.

After scoring 12 goals and adding two assists as a freshman in 2022, McAtee had nine goals and an assist a year ago while helping Solon reach a 1A semifinal.

Jade Gongora

Senior, West Branch

A four-year starter in the back row Gongora is the unquestioned leader in the back row for the Bears and will look to close her career with her best season.

Gongora has made 35 starts over the past three seasons, the most for any player on the West Branch roster.

The senior defender has also spent time in goal for West Branch during her career and gives the Bears a veteran presence in what should be an improved back line.

Callie Stanley

Sophomore, Liberty High

One of the top freshman in the state last season Stanley will look to build on an impressive debut season in which she led the Lightning in goals and ranked second on the team in assists.

In her first prep season Stanley set a program record for goals by a freshman with 18, which was the fifth most goals in the state by a freshman a year ago.

Stanley added eight assists to go with her team-high 18 goals, ranking in the top 20 in Class 2A in both goals and points (44) while helping Liberty High to a 9-9 record and a spot in the 2A regional title game.

Yuning Shao

Senior, West High

In her first season as a starter last year Shao emerged as one of the top scorers in the area leading the Trojans in goals and points while helping West High to a 6-11 record.

Shao scored a team-high 12 goals and tied for second on the team with three assists in 16 games.

Look for Shao to be a leader in what should be a balanced West High attack that returns players that accounted for 43 of 44 goals last season.

Natalie Gahan

Junior, Regina

After making five starts as a freshman in 2022 Gahan emerged as a major weapon last season ranking second on the team in goals while helping the Regals to a 14-6 record.

Gahan scored a career-high 10 goals last season, ranking second on the team behind all-stater Grace Gaarde in both goals and points (21).

Look for Gahan to take another step forward this season in what should be a more balanced Regina attack as the Regals move on without Gaarde who concluded her career with 103 goals in three seasons.

Halle Bormann

Senior, Clear Creek Amana

A consistent producer in the Clipper lineup since her freshman season Bormann has posted three straight seasons with at least seven goals and five assists.

Bormann had seven goals and led the Clippers with eight assists last season on her way to earning second-team all-WAMAC West Division honors.

A Belmont Abbey recruit, Bormann has 24 career goals and 22 career assists.

Ava Bell

Senior, City High

Bell was at her best last season increasing her goal scoring production for the third consecutive season.

Bell had two goals as a freshman and six as a sophomore before posting a career-high eight goals last season to go with five assists on her way to earning first team Mississippi Valley Conference all-division honors.

In three seasons Bell has 16 goals and 15 assists.

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