NewsTribune girls soccer preview capsules

A breakdown of the La Salle-Peru, DePue-Hall, Mendota and Princeton girls soccer teams:

La Salle-Peru

Coach: Christin Pappas (fourth season)

Last season: 11-9, 5-4 Interstate Eight

Top returnees: Isabella Lambert, Sr., F; Litzy Lopez, So., MF; Danica Scoma, So., W; Abigail Poole, So., W; Sasha Bruins, Sr.; Nica Hein, So.; Coral Garcia, So.

Key newcomers: Genesis Garcia, So., MF; Katie Sowers, So., F; Kya Grebner, Jr., F; Lexi Robbins, Sr., GK.

Worth noting: The Cavaliers return 11 players from last year’s squad that finished with the first winning record and notched the first postseason win in program history, including their top two offensive threats in Lopez (14 goals, 9 assists) and Lambert (13 goals). Both were all-area picks last season. “Isabella Lambert in her final high school season will be a pleasure to watch and lead our team again this year,” Pappas said. “Litzy Lopez has been working hard with offseason training and we hope to continue to see great things from her. Danica Scoma, Abigail Poole and Sasha Bruins have incredible athleticism and really help to drive the offensive attack.” Hein and Coral Garcia will play key roles on defense, while Robbins takes over as goalkeeper. Genesis Garcia will play in the midfield. “She’s got great field vision and creativity as well as a relentless attack,” Pappas said. Pappas said the Cavaliers have a great team culture. “If a team doesn’t have a great culture, it will translate to their play,” Pappas said. “I always have high expectations for my team. They know that. I tell them often. We have great potential.”

DePue-Hall

Coach: Jose Mejia (second season)

Top returnees: Lizbeth Paz, So.; Veronica Fitzgerald, So.

Worth noting: Paz and Fitzgerald are only sophomores but they’ll provide experience and play key roles for the Little Giants. The team also has five players from Hall who are playing high school soccer for the first time. “The team is younger this year so they are learning how to play together, which can really help them out for the next years to come,” Mejia said. Last season, the Little Giants had just enough players to form a team, so having 16 players on the roster this spring is a positive. “Our ultimate goal would be to win a game this year,” Mejia said. “I know it might sound silly, but I know that is what these girls want. Last year was very hard being that we only had enough girls to form a team. We had no subs. So playing a full game and giving it their all the whole time would take a toll on them.”

Mendota

Coach: Nick Meyers (eighth season)

Last season: 3-8-1, 1-5-1 Big Northern

Top returnees: Emily Stewart, Jr.; Isabella Tolentino, Sr.; Marisol Felix, Sr.; Naitzy Garcia, Jr.

Key newcomers: Noemi Arteaga, Fr.; Crystal Garcia, Fr.

Worth noting: Meyer said the Trojans put in work in the offseason and are on the verge of improvement. “I think this group has improved the culture and attitude of our team this offseason by being dedicated to getting better,” Meyer said. “Six girls played year round travel soccer, girls came to summer training sessions and we’ve been in the weight room some. Our knowledge of the game is so much better now than it ever was last season. This group is right on the edge of getting over the hump and becoming a team that consistently wins 10-plus games each season.” Stewart was an all-sectional player last season, while Tolentino was honorable mention all-sectional. Stewart is moving to the sweeper/center back position to lead the defense, while Felix will drop from midfield to outside back defender. “Our defense is going to be led by experience in the back,” Meyer said. “I expect us to be pretty solid defensively.” Arteaga will be a striker Meyer describes as “very skillful on then ball and knows how to put the ball in the back of the net.” Crystal Garcia will play on the wing and also will be a threat to score. “We are returning quite a few players who did not play last year due to COIVD,” Meyer said. “These players for the most part are ones who have played before, so it’s giving us some experienced players we lacked last season.” The Trojans will play in the Three Rivers Conference this season.

Princeton

Coach: David Gray (fifth season)

Last season: 11-5

Top returnees: Mariah Hobson, Jr., F; Viviana Robledo, Sr., MF; Maggie Davis, Sr., D; Maya Gartin, Sr., GK; Torrie Segerstrom, Sr., F; Anna Mallery-Sondgeroth, Sr., MF; Claire Grey, Jr., D

Worth noting: The Tigresses return a strong core from last year’s squad that claimed a sectional championship. Hobson, the reigning NewsTribune Girls Soccer Player of the Year, scored 32 goals in 16 games last season. Robledo played more of a defensive role last season as a central midfielder, but Gray said she should get more opportunities to score this season. Davis will anchor the defense as a center back who is a “really strong ball stopper who is difficult to break down,” while Gartin returns in net as a keeper with strong skills who “can cover a lot of the goal.” Gray expects Segerstrom, Mallery-Sondgeroth and Grey to step into larger roles this season after seeing time last year. “This is a team that has some really strong players and some solid role players,” Gray said. “I think the strength is in the fact that they will each play their roles. We gained some really valuable experiences during last season’s playoff run, and I think that will really pay off.” Gray said he expects the Tigresses to be rounding into form come the postseason. “Our No. 1 goal is to improve,” Gray said. “We need to focus on one step at a time, and by the end of the season we should be in good shape for the playoffs. We have confidence that we are a good team, but we also understand that we need to continue to work at it.”