Fall Prep Previews -- Girls soccer capsules

COLUMBIA BASIN
BIG NINE CONFERENCE

FAVORITES

With graduation hitting perennial powerhouse Richland hard, this figures to be the year that PASCO -- which shared the conference title with the Bombers last year -- finally stands alone atop the final standings. The Bulldogs return a solid nucleus and one of the league's top players in forward Morgan Sullivan. Their likeliest challengers may well be two teams that played in the CBL's 3A division last year -- SOUTHRIDGE and KAMIAKIN -- but are opting up to 4A this year. And don't be too surprised if EISENHOWER pushes its way into the championship chase.

IN THE HUNT

In an ordinary year, Class 4A RICHLAND and 3A WEST VALLEY rank among their respective leagues' top squads. But this is no ordinary year.

For one thing, the conference will no longer have a 4A/3A divisional split. Everybody's playing for the same Big Nine title, although the postseason hopes of the three 3A schools -- West Valley, Hanford and Sunnyside -- will be determined solely on their games against each other.

For another thing, 2008 graduation riddled the Bombers and Rams. Richland lost five first-team all-leaguers, including CBL player-of-the-year and all-state defender Lindsay Roberts. West Valley's losses were even profound --
10 starters, six of whom who are now playing college soccer. The Rams might still be the Big Nine's best 3A team, but contending for the title seems unlikely.

KEEP AN EYE ON

Under new coach Tyler Suhm last year, EISENHOWER moved into the conference's upper echelon for the first time since 2002. Suhm's best players are all back, and speedy Cadet junior Katy Allen ranks alongside PASCO's Sullivan, WEST VALLEY's Haley Curtis and SOUTHRIDGE's Kasey McNeill as the Big Nine's top strikers. Allen was a unanimous all-conference last year in her first year on varsity, and the Cadets also return four second-team all-CBLers (midfielders Bianca Flores, Alexis Howard and Anna Johnson, defender Robin Klein) as they stalk their first state-tourney berth since 1999.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

DAVIS loses all three of its all-leaguers and its leading scorer, but new coach Mike Hernandez -- an assistant coach with the Yakima Reds -- can build around gifted senior center-midfielder Kate Kunkel-Patterson and a young lineup full of freshmen and sophomores that includes gifted cousins Taryn and Courtney Cobane, both sophomores. ... Among the 3A trio, young HANFORD suffered through an unseemly 3-9 league season in 2007, but returns four all-leaguers and could push West Valley. But the Rams' defense should still be tough, led by Adrienne Biglow and goalkeeper Lee Hanses (four shutouts in 2007). And missing a year with back-to-back knee injuries, ultra-talented sophomore Ashley Richardson may just shock the league as an attacking center-midfielder, preventing opposing defenses from focusing too much on Curtis. ... SUNNYSIDE lost four seniors last year's team and, with sweeper and team leader Teresa Ramos and leading scorer Sasha Castro back, should be improved -- though the tougher 4A-heavy schedule might not show it.

CWAC

FAVORITES

Reigning South Division kingpin EAST VALLEY loses two-time all-stater Arianna Mohsenian to graduation; North heavyweight SELAH loses irrepressible league MVP Rochel Burke. And guess what? The Red Devils might be even better this year, while Selah will likely reach the state tourney again behind all-league offensive talents like Danna Johnson, Amber Gooch and Monik Martinez. ELLENSBURG, though, could give the Vikings a run in the North behind über-scorer Hadli Farrand (19 goals as a frosh in 2007).

IN THE HUNT

The North could get interesting, with ELLENSBURG returning its top three scorers (Farrand, Katelyn Ronning and Casey Demory). EPHRATA, which posted a winning league record last year despite the CWAC's youngest lineup, seems poised to step up in class. So, too, does OTHELLO, another young-in-2007 squad that returns its nucleus. In the South, PROSSER graduated three stellar all-league seniors who combined for 35 goals last year, but Alex Forsyth should help pick up the slack.

KEEP AN EYE ON

EAST VALLEY's Adrianna Jones and Kaylah Gonzales are the CWAC's top 1-2 punch, having combined for 29 goals last year. But don't be surprised if Jessica Baken comes back from her injury-plagued 2007 season and fills the big shoes of graduated all-stater Arianna Mohsenian. How far the Red Devils go in the playoffs may depend on how well the defense plays in front of capable goaltender Amanda Freisz, but this team could be good for a while. The Devils have some gifted freshmen coming in, including yet another Mohsenian -- Arianna's younger sister, Yasamin.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Although WAPATO and OTHELLO combined for just seven CWAC victories last year, foes shouldn't take either lightly. The Wolves have shown steady improvement under coach Ruben Torrico, graduated only two seniors, return their top two offensive threats (Bertha Valencia and Hannah Cordova, who scored 16 goals between them) and a defense led by Elizabeth Montes and sophomore club player Kathleen Aragon. Likewise, OTHELLO brings back all of its key players and brings in a new coach, and could more closely resemble 2006's 10-3 club than 2007's 3-10 group. TOPPENISH brings back a half-dozen starters, including goalkeeper Cintia Gil and relentless cousins Esmeralda and Yeidi Cano, and if Araceli Zuniga can return to her 20-goal form of 2006, the Wildcats could move up in the standings.

SCAC

FAVORITES

Graduating the league's 2007 co-player of the year (Stephanie McKenna) shouldn't keep NACHES VALLEY from returning to the top of the SCAC West heap, but HIGHLAND just might. Both teams return the bulk of their 2007 lineup -- eight of the Rangers'
10 returning starters, in fact, received all-conference mention -- while reigning league champ LA SALLE graduated seven seniors who had earned back-to-back-to-back trips to the state title game.

IN THE HUNT

LA SALLE can't be discounted, with 24-goal scorer Aly Hernandez back along with a pair of all-league defenders in Katie Vickers and Katie Knoebel. But the Lightning will have to make up for the loss of two 100-goal career scorers (Monica Schneider and Jasmine Stohr) and an all-state goalie who racked up 13 shutouts last year (Lauren Chambard), though Chelsea Adkins might just be capable of filling Chambard's shoes. New coach Tammy Vela at HIGHLAND should have the fastest team in the league, with an offensive trio (Amy Wickenhagen, Alma Garcia and Sarah Allen) that accounted for 27 goals in 2007. And though the West was clearly the stronger of the two SCAC's two divisions last year, in this year's single,
12-team league format -- necessitated by the addition of MABTON's program -- former East kingpin CONNELL has to be considered a serious contender.

KEEP AN EYE ON

NACHES VALLEY is in very good position to run its string of state-tournament seasons to nine, perhaps even challenging for its first state title since 2004. Their top two scorers (Jordan Huck and Kellie Bernhardt) are back after combining for 15 regular-season goals last year; so is the foundation of a splendid defense led by first-team all-leaguers Emily Thompson and Caitie Euper and goalkeeper Whitney Shirley. Although success in summer-league soccer doesn't necessarily translate to fall ball, the Rangers did hold their own against 2A powers East Valley and Selah over the summer. They seem poised to recapture the mantle of SCAC West kingpin that has more recently been the dominion of La Salle.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

CLE ELUM was very competitive against both Naches Valley and Highland last year under first-year coach Ian Connell, who ended up winning SCAC West coach of the year honors. But graduation was not kind to the Warriors -- goalkeeper Nina Ratliff is a huge loss -- nor to GRANGER. The CONNELL Eagles, on the other hand, return nine members of 2007's all-SCAC East team, seven of whom -- including freshman goalie Maci Whitby-- will still be around in 2009. WAHLUKE could make a playoff run, with returners Linda Hernandez and Sari Munoz having combined for 19 goals last year.

-- Scott Sandsberry

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