Continued success is goal for Lady Indians
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Hillsboro Lady Indians soccer team was less than two minutes away from forcing overtime in the Division II Regional Semifinals last season. This season, the Lady Indians want to continue that run of success. Though a majority of the players are returning, they understand this still isn't the same team from one season ago.
Preparing for this season, the Lady Indians have used the postseason run from '12 as motivation this summer, to a point.
HHS lost two senior starters from a team that finished second place in the South Central Ohio League, won a district championship and was one of the final 16 teams remaining in Division II with an overall record of 17-2-1.
"We are obviously (using last season as motivation), as it could be a possibility this year," HHS head coach Leslie Molen said. "(Tuesday) we discussed we lost two key players from that tournament run.
"We are capable of it, but whether we get back there or not depends on how we fill those positions."[[In-content Ad]]Molen wants this team to play as one unit, and if they can accomplish that feat again, she feels they can compete at a higher level once again.
"Right now, I just want us to get along, play together and realize our strengths and weaknesses," she said. "We are capable of a league and district championship, and we're capable of making another regional bid.
"It comes down to how we do those things. We haven't been around each other enough yet … we aren't quite a team, so before we can approach any other expectations, we have to become a team."
The two spots on the roster HHS must replace are on defense with the graduation of multi-year starters Taylor Moberly and Taylor Stanforth.
"Taylor Stanforth was our chaser on defense, and Taylor Moberly was more of a stout player that would stop anything coming down the right side," Molen said. "Our defense was tremendous in the playoff run last year.
"Anyone who was at the (regional) game knew without our defense and our goalie (Rachel Sexton), the game would have been over sooner that it was. For the two or three shots we reeled off, they (DeSales) answered probably with 20 of their own per the three or four shots for us."
The senior class for Hillsboro this season have been a part of 44 wins, as their overall record their first three seasons on the varsity squad is 44-7-3. Those wins include a co-SCOL title in '11.
In those seasons, to go along with the 17 wins from '12, they won 13 times in '10 and 14 times in '11. The '10 and '11 seasons ended in the sectional final round.
Besides the loss to DeSales last season, the other loss came to Clinton-Massie (the reigning SCOL champions), and the tie was also to CM.
Both CM and HHS have been the class of SCOL the past few seasons as HHS was 12-1-1 in SCOL play one year ago. The only league losses the Lady Indians have the past few seasons have come to the Lady Falcons.
CM won the SCOL title last season with a 14-0-1 record, as they've won parts of the past five league championships.
"The games against Clinton-Massie help us tremendously," Molen said. "They test us every time, but we need the Massie game to get us ready for what we may face outside of league action. In the past, I've had more physical teams compared to what my teams have been lately.
"We need to become more of a physical team because that would help us tremendously. Being able to play CM, it is one of those games where you either come out, play hard and compete, or if you don't, you suffer the consequences."
Molen continued to talk about playing a team the caliber of the Lady Falcons twice in a season.
"When we come out and play hard with them, we've been able to tie, but it has been a few years since we've won against them," she said. "The timid style of play we normally start out with isn't cutting it, because you can't bring a game like that against them."
HHS will host the Lady Falcons on Sept. 10 at 6:45 p.m. and will travel to CM on Sept. 26 at 5 p.m.
Back to last year's postseason, for a refresher course in their path to the regional semifinals, the Lady Indians began with a 7-0 win over Athens at Richards Memorial Field. They followed that with a 4-0 win against Logan Elm in the district semifinals.
From there, Hillsboro defeated Warren by a 3-2 score in overtime, a game where Kaylee Achor kicked in the game-winning goal, earning the first district championship in Molen's tenure as head coach.
Now, it is back to starting over with a new season at hand. Returning to the Round of 16, it all begins with practice in the summer.
"The summer went OK," Molen said. "We got fired up around June, but participation wasn't as good as last year. I didn't have some of the girls I expect to be leaders out early all at the same time. It was a little disappointing, because I needed them to lead the team when I wasn't there at times due to my new job.
"I'm not really concerned, but we are definitely behind the eight ball from where we should be. We have to continue to get better on the boxes, both offensively and defensively. We were weak there last year, and we have to defend better and keep stuff out of there … corner kicks, direct kicks. Same offensively, we have to finish corner kicks and direct kicks … we have to finish crosses."
There are 23 girls in the soccer program this season with five seniors, five juniors, seven sophomores and six freshmen. The five seniors are Madison Colliver, Taylor Davis, Hailey Hammett, Rachel Sexton and Cheyney Myers.
Hillsboro returns one player who earned second-team All-Ohio honors in Colliver.
Colliver (center-midfielder) was an All-Ohio selection due to scoring 16 goals (13 in the regular season), along with 83 interceptions and 45 takeaways.
"Madison is an extremely good player," Molen said. "She's basically like another assistant coach, as she knows the game inside and out. She demands from her teammates to give the effort she is giving, which is 110-percent.
"She's skilled, very knowledgeable and a good kid on and off the field."
Colliver was also a first-team All-District selection her junior season and a first-team All-SCOL player. Also back this year are Trista Rhodes (junior), who was named second-team All-District, and honorable mention All-District players Myers (senior) and Kaylynn Bell (junior).
"Having as many girls returning as we do, it does give you a glimmer of hope as far as repeating," Molen said. "By the same token, we have to realize this year's team is not last year's team.
"We are going to have to go about things a whole different way, because we won't have the speed in the back. We're replacing other spots by having other players changing positions."
As for Sexton, the goalie showed what type of player she can be in the regional semifinal last season and the entire playoff run.
"I've told her if she would come out and play every game like she played in the regionals, any coach in the state of Ohio would be happy to have her," Molen said. "Like I said before, her parents should have been the most proud parents in the stands that night.
"She (Sexton) played her butt off and showed she can be an All-District and All-Ohio player."
As mentioned earlier, HHS will have a mix of grades from nine-12 in the program this year.
"We are somewhat young, but we have a few sophomores and juniors in the mix, and I'm looking at a few freshmen," Molen said. "My freshmen class is pretty good, they've been out for the most part this summer working hard. I'm excited to get to work with them."
One of those changes will be Mallory Sluss going from being a midfielder to playing defense.
"With us having to make that move, we're be putting a new defender in, plus replacing a midfielder which will hurt," Molen said. "We have to also replace another defender, with everything else staying the same, while adding in some new kids.
"Mallory is doing well with the change to defense, and that is pretty cool of her to abandon her mid-field position and agree to play defense."
Molen said eventually everything will get organized with scrimmages scheduled against Jackson, Ripley, New Richmond, Peebles and at the Hilltop Tournament.
"We're just a little bit disorganized, as we're not really used to playing together right now," she said. "The more the kids are around ... like I said earlier, this summer we didn't have great participation. Never at one time all summer did I have all 10 returning starters together at one time at a tournament.
"I still think the more they are around and the more the younger ones get oriented to high school soccer, we'll be fine. I'm not worried, but it is just a matter of how well we come together to where we are at in October."
The HHS head coach is just ready for the season to begin.
"We have great kids, great attitudes and they work hard, but it is just a matter of who wants to shine this year," Molen said.
Hillsboro opens the regular season on Saturday, Aug. 17 as they host the Eastern Brown Lady Warriors at 3:45 p.m. at Richards Memorial Field.
Preparing for this season, the Lady Indians have used the postseason run from '12 as motivation this summer, to a point.
HHS lost two senior starters from a team that finished second place in the South Central Ohio League, won a district championship and was one of the final 16 teams remaining in Division II with an overall record of 17-2-1.
"We are obviously (using last season as motivation), as it could be a possibility this year," HHS head coach Leslie Molen said. "(Tuesday) we discussed we lost two key players from that tournament run.
"We are capable of it, but whether we get back there or not depends on how we fill those positions."[[In-content Ad]]Molen wants this team to play as one unit, and if they can accomplish that feat again, she feels they can compete at a higher level once again.
"Right now, I just want us to get along, play together and realize our strengths and weaknesses," she said. "We are capable of a league and district championship, and we're capable of making another regional bid.
"It comes down to how we do those things. We haven't been around each other enough yet … we aren't quite a team, so before we can approach any other expectations, we have to become a team."
The two spots on the roster HHS must replace are on defense with the graduation of multi-year starters Taylor Moberly and Taylor Stanforth.
"Taylor Stanforth was our chaser on defense, and Taylor Moberly was more of a stout player that would stop anything coming down the right side," Molen said. "Our defense was tremendous in the playoff run last year.
"Anyone who was at the (regional) game knew without our defense and our goalie (Rachel Sexton), the game would have been over sooner that it was. For the two or three shots we reeled off, they (DeSales) answered probably with 20 of their own per the three or four shots for us."
The senior class for Hillsboro this season have been a part of 44 wins, as their overall record their first three seasons on the varsity squad is 44-7-3. Those wins include a co-SCOL title in '11.
In those seasons, to go along with the 17 wins from '12, they won 13 times in '10 and 14 times in '11. The '10 and '11 seasons ended in the sectional final round.
Besides the loss to DeSales last season, the other loss came to Clinton-Massie (the reigning SCOL champions), and the tie was also to CM.
Both CM and HHS have been the class of SCOL the past few seasons as HHS was 12-1-1 in SCOL play one year ago. The only league losses the Lady Indians have the past few seasons have come to the Lady Falcons.
CM won the SCOL title last season with a 14-0-1 record, as they've won parts of the past five league championships.
"The games against Clinton-Massie help us tremendously," Molen said. "They test us every time, but we need the Massie game to get us ready for what we may face outside of league action. In the past, I've had more physical teams compared to what my teams have been lately.
"We need to become more of a physical team because that would help us tremendously. Being able to play CM, it is one of those games where you either come out, play hard and compete, or if you don't, you suffer the consequences."
Molen continued to talk about playing a team the caliber of the Lady Falcons twice in a season.
"When we come out and play hard with them, we've been able to tie, but it has been a few years since we've won against them," she said. "The timid style of play we normally start out with isn't cutting it, because you can't bring a game like that against them."
HHS will host the Lady Falcons on Sept. 10 at 6:45 p.m. and will travel to CM on Sept. 26 at 5 p.m.
Back to last year's postseason, for a refresher course in their path to the regional semifinals, the Lady Indians began with a 7-0 win over Athens at Richards Memorial Field. They followed that with a 4-0 win against Logan Elm in the district semifinals.
From there, Hillsboro defeated Warren by a 3-2 score in overtime, a game where Kaylee Achor kicked in the game-winning goal, earning the first district championship in Molen's tenure as head coach.
Now, it is back to starting over with a new season at hand. Returning to the Round of 16, it all begins with practice in the summer.
"The summer went OK," Molen said. "We got fired up around June, but participation wasn't as good as last year. I didn't have some of the girls I expect to be leaders out early all at the same time. It was a little disappointing, because I needed them to lead the team when I wasn't there at times due to my new job.
"I'm not really concerned, but we are definitely behind the eight ball from where we should be. We have to continue to get better on the boxes, both offensively and defensively. We were weak there last year, and we have to defend better and keep stuff out of there … corner kicks, direct kicks. Same offensively, we have to finish corner kicks and direct kicks … we have to finish crosses."
There are 23 girls in the soccer program this season with five seniors, five juniors, seven sophomores and six freshmen. The five seniors are Madison Colliver, Taylor Davis, Hailey Hammett, Rachel Sexton and Cheyney Myers.
Hillsboro returns one player who earned second-team All-Ohio honors in Colliver.
Colliver (center-midfielder) was an All-Ohio selection due to scoring 16 goals (13 in the regular season), along with 83 interceptions and 45 takeaways.
"Madison is an extremely good player," Molen said. "She's basically like another assistant coach, as she knows the game inside and out. She demands from her teammates to give the effort she is giving, which is 110-percent.
"She's skilled, very knowledgeable and a good kid on and off the field."
Colliver was also a first-team All-District selection her junior season and a first-team All-SCOL player. Also back this year are Trista Rhodes (junior), who was named second-team All-District, and honorable mention All-District players Myers (senior) and Kaylynn Bell (junior).
"Having as many girls returning as we do, it does give you a glimmer of hope as far as repeating," Molen said. "By the same token, we have to realize this year's team is not last year's team.
"We are going to have to go about things a whole different way, because we won't have the speed in the back. We're replacing other spots by having other players changing positions."
As for Sexton, the goalie showed what type of player she can be in the regional semifinal last season and the entire playoff run.
"I've told her if she would come out and play every game like she played in the regionals, any coach in the state of Ohio would be happy to have her," Molen said. "Like I said before, her parents should have been the most proud parents in the stands that night.
"She (Sexton) played her butt off and showed she can be an All-District and All-Ohio player."
As mentioned earlier, HHS will have a mix of grades from nine-12 in the program this year.
"We are somewhat young, but we have a few sophomores and juniors in the mix, and I'm looking at a few freshmen," Molen said. "My freshmen class is pretty good, they've been out for the most part this summer working hard. I'm excited to get to work with them."
One of those changes will be Mallory Sluss going from being a midfielder to playing defense.
"With us having to make that move, we're be putting a new defender in, plus replacing a midfielder which will hurt," Molen said. "We have to also replace another defender, with everything else staying the same, while adding in some new kids.
"Mallory is doing well with the change to defense, and that is pretty cool of her to abandon her mid-field position and agree to play defense."
Molen said eventually everything will get organized with scrimmages scheduled against Jackson, Ripley, New Richmond, Peebles and at the Hilltop Tournament.
"We're just a little bit disorganized, as we're not really used to playing together right now," she said. "The more the kids are around ... like I said earlier, this summer we didn't have great participation. Never at one time all summer did I have all 10 returning starters together at one time at a tournament.
"I still think the more they are around and the more the younger ones get oriented to high school soccer, we'll be fine. I'm not worried, but it is just a matter of how well we come together to where we are at in October."
The HHS head coach is just ready for the season to begin.
"We have great kids, great attitudes and they work hard, but it is just a matter of who wants to shine this year," Molen said.
Hillsboro opens the regular season on Saturday, Aug. 17 as they host the Eastern Brown Lady Warriors at 3:45 p.m. at Richards Memorial Field.