The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1279811
D-2 Fall Sports Preview Wednesday, August 19, 2020 The Press-Dispatch LADY CHARGERS SOCCER Western back for more By Kenzie Rudolph A fter graduating talented seniors, the Pike Central La- dy Chargers' soccer team has some big shoes to fill. Return- ing head coach Chad Western is looking for some of his Fall 2020 players to step up into big- ger roles. Before coaching the high school girls' team last year, Western coached the high school boys, and before that, he coached the middle school teams. He is fairly new to La- dy Chargers soccer at the high school level, but is definitely not new to soccer as a whole with the Pike Central program. Western will coach with the help of Chris Young, Brian Willis, Sydney Brooks, Shelby Vaughn and Chloe Roy. There will be no JV team this season. According to Western, last season was record-breaking for the girls' team defensively. "Last year, with the girls' high school team, we were pret- ty solid on defense, and allowed the fewest goals we ever had." He is expecting to see that talent again this year. He does not have his starting 11 fully picked out, but he has noticed some hard work and tal- ent in practices. Hannah Woodford is a junior who Western plans to use both on defense and offense. He add- ed that she has shown leader- ship and improvement going in- to this fall season. Albany Ash- ley, a junior, will join Woodford in a defensive role right in the middle, as she did last year, ac- cording to Western. "She (Ashley) was very strong for us last year and should be a big part of what we do this season," added Western. Another defensive piece of the puzzle will be Mallory Hunt, a junior who has come back after a long break from soccer. Western expects her to get some ample time in the goal. He explained that she may play the field, too, in the middle, and that she has been improv- ing and learning each week. When it comes to offense, Western expects Lauren Young, a senior, to perform well. "She is athletic and deter- mined to do a good job...we will be targeting her to score goals and get us shots," he explained. Another senior, Grace Bran- dle, will see offensive playing time. Western said, "Grace is smart on the field and athletic. She will be playing mostly of- fense, and will need to impose her will to get chances on of- fense for her or her teammates to score." Alli Holder, a junior, has im- proved and wants to help her team compete, according to Western. He said that he ex- pects her to play offense and in the middle of the field. Abby Skelton is another ju- nior who will see playing time on offense. "Abby has improved and will add scoring and playmaking to our front five attacking play- ers," explained Western. He also talked of another player who took a big break from the game. Chelsie Les- ter, a senior, is determined to pick up and learn to support her team and represent her school. The sophomores this sea- son are Keena Young, Kahle Young, Kennedy Willis, Jay- lynn Capehart, Lillian Thomp- son, Jasmine Leighty and Beth Edrington. Keena Young will be back in her same position as last year, center back. Western said that she played great last year, so there is no reason to change a good thing. He said that Kahle Young is really versatile. He said that she will play a mix of goalie, center mid, offense and even defense at times. "She was a very good player last year, and we are going to move her around where need- ed," said Western. He stated that Willis boost- ed his offense last year. She is the returning top goal scorer for the Lady Chargers. Capehart will mostly be found in a defensive role just like last year, according to Western. She is another athlete who can play many positions. "Thompson has worked hard to get stronger and plays relent- lessly when she is on offense. She may play several spots wherever she is needed. She can pressure the ball and play all over the field," said Western proudly. J. Leighty is normally a de- fender, but Western said that she will do whatever it takes to help her team. Edrington is another girl who is back to soccer again af- ter a hiatus. Western appreci- ates her eagerness to improve and her hard-working demean- or. The freshman that West- ern has his eyes on is Kelby Leighty. He believes that she will move around quite a bit, but that she will be reliable de- fensively. When it comes to goals for this season, Western is hoping for health and safety first and foremost. He also wishes for a full season, for the senior girls especially. "We want to compete with everyone on our schedule, and hopefully we can be .500 on the season," he added. Western has conference match-ups on his brain, spe- cifically Gibson Southern and Heritage Hills. He explained that they are always good and added, "We want to play very well against those two confer- ence leaders." He knows there will be a lot of challenges for this season, but he said that they are doing everything as coaches and play- ers to do things the right way so that they can continue to play the great game of soccer. Girls' Varsity Soccer Day/Date Time Event Location H/A Thu ...8/20 ..... 7:30 PM .......Washington .....................................Washington HS ................................. Away Mon ..8/24 ..... 6:30 PM ......Evansville Bosse ..............................Pike Central/OPG Soccer Field .........Home Thu ...8/27 ..... 5:30 PM ......North Knox ......................................Pike Central HS ................................Home Tue ...9/1 ....... 6:00 PM ......South Spencer .................................South Spencer HS ............................ Away Thu ...9/3 ....... 6:00 PM ......Boonville .........................................Pike Central HS ................................Home Tue ...9/8 ....... 6:00 PM ......Southridge .......................................Old Petersburg Gym .........................Home Thu ...9/10 ..... 6:00 PM ......Princeton Comm ..............................Princeton Comm HS ......................... Away Sat ...9/12 ..... 10:00 AM ....Forest Park ......................................Pike Central MS/HS ..........................Home Tue ...9/15 ..... 5:00 PM ......South Knox ......................................Pike Central HS ................................Home Thu ...9/17 ..... 6:30 PM ......Mount Vernon ...................................Old Petersburg Gym .........................Home Mon ..9/21 ..... 5:30 PM ......Northeast Dubois ............................Pike Central HS ................................Home Tue ...9/22 ..... 6:30 PM ......North Posey .....................................North Posey HS ................................ Away Thu ...9/24 ..... 6:00 PM ......Gibson Southern ..............................Gibson Southern HS ......................... Away Tue ...9/29 ..... 6:00 PM ......Heritage Hills ...................................Heritage Hills MS/HS ........................ Away Thu ...10/1 ..... 6:30 PM ......Evansville Christian School ...............Pike Central MS/HS ..........................Home LAUREN YOUNG 3.5" x 2.5" | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt MKT-5894K-A e d wa r d j o n e s .c o m Go Pike Central Chargers! Tom Willis Financial Advisor 801 N Vincennes Avenue Petersburg, IN 47567 812-354-9950 Member SIPC 3.5" x 2.5" | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt MKT-5894K-A e d wa r d j o n e s .c o m Go Pike Central Chargers! Tom Willis Financial Advisor 801 N Vincennes Avenue Petersburg, IN 47567 812-354-9950 Member SIPC 2.5" | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt MKT-5894K-A e d wa r d j o n e s .c o m Go Pike Central Chargers! Tom Willis Financial Advisor 801 N Vincennes Avenue Petersburg, IN 47567 812-354-9950 Member SIPC Go Chargers! 245 S. Glezen Center St. • Petersburg, IN 812-354-9909 Glezen Revival Center Leave the repairs to us! DOUBLE J COLLISION CENTER 350 W. Main, Petersburg (Hwy. 57, south of Petersburg) Good Luck to all Pike Central Teams Open Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • 354-9670 Lana R. Hel ms, DDS , MSD, PC Making and sharing SMILES! Be a Winner! Stay in school, study hard and prepare for a great future. Board-Certified in Orthodontics for children, adolescents and adults Appointments Monday-Thursday 812-254-4500 2116 State Street, Washington www.lanahelms.com In any sport, Four Star Fabricators encourages all Pike Central athletes to work hard, play tough and win in life. Serving the Aluminum, Coal and Power Industries with Quality Steel Fabrication Phone: 354-9995 Fax: 354-3809 Four Star Fabricators P.O. Box 67, Petersburg, IN 47567 www.fourstarfab.com Good Luck This season!