“Our primary goal is to win the conference and our secondary goal is to win state,” Shifflett said. “This group definitely knows what it wants and they know how hard they have to work to get there.”
With the field still chasing defending state champion Belgrade, the Broncs have a chance to be the class of the West - returning eight starters from a team that went 12-1-1, won the Southern A and finished as a sate semifinalist in 2007.
“They're irreplaceable for leadership on and off the field and for their ability,” Shifflett said. “All three girls. That's why they got voted (to be) captains.”
It doesn't hurt either to have Megan Baker back in goal. The senior keeper had 10 clean sheets in 14 games last season. She'll be protected by a defensive group that includes three-year starter Kelsey Isherwood.
Hamilton will need to get some help from the nonseniors as well. Junior forward Bry Gordon announced her presence with authority when she scored two goals against Laurel on Friday. Sophomore Nellie Moran was also good during the opening weekend of play, assisting on the Broncs' only goal in a tied game at Billings Central. Another sophomore, Maria Zepeda, saw significant time at forward.
Corvallis returns 10 letterwinners from last season, including six seniors. Jenny Wissenbach will play center midfield for the Blue Devils, while Coral Higuera and Whitney Cranmore will be at the forward positions.
Coach Caroline Lurgio expects midfielder Stephani Henson to stand out with her dribbling skills and Higuera may see time at keeper, along with Danielle Morris.
Sophomore Blaire Brookshire was all-conference last year as a ninth grader for Stevensville and is the most decorated member of a Yellowjackets team that will have four seniors in the starting lineup.
Seeley Bloom, Sherry Walter and Kristin Swindle will be in the midfield, while Sara Grimes and Lila Severson highlight the defense.
Frenchtown has a quality keeper in the form of junior Aspen Ward, but the Broncs have 11 newcomers and are still finding their legs with a relatively new soccer program.
The same is true of Loyola Sacred Heart, where Whitney Bennett and Megan Jones are seniors on a team of mostly sophomores and juniors.
Jones and Ashley Medeiros will run as forwards, while Bennett, Vanessa Grassman and Laura Snook will be on defense.
Northern A
Nine different Whitefish players garnered votes from teammates during preseason practices, when the Bulldogs held a team-wide caucus to determine captains.
Coach Lini Reading hopes that chemistry is a good place to start as Whitefish tries to continue its recent success.
“We've got a eight seniors and I think pretty much all of them have been involved in a state championship game every year of their career,” Reading said. “I feel pretty confident this group of girls won't be satisfied with anything less than a state title. Now, that doesn't mean they're going to get it, they have to work.”
The Bulldogs lost to Belgrade in the chipper last year, but return all-state forward Carly Lengstorff and four all-conference players in Hannah Long, Kylee Smith, Meagan Powell and Kelsey McCluskey.
Polson brings seven starters back from a team that went 3-5 last year, including two-time all-state player Heather Howell at center midfield. Senior strikers Tash Conrad and Erin King will be the tip of the spear of the Pirates' attack.
On defense, juniors Lexi Cline and Katie Borchers will patrol the middle.
Greg Trenerry said his Columbia Falls team lost seven players from last year, including all-sate goal keeper Colyne Hislop. Sophomore Niesha Thompson will take over in front of the net.
To maximize on his returning talent, Trenerry is moving Ashley Fairbank from defense to the front. She'll be a co-captain along with center midfielder Shelby Weibelhaus.
The divisional plot thickens for the Trenerry family this year, as Greg's daughter Hauna takes over as coach of the Bigfork program.
“Her team is going to want to beat us,” Greg Trenerry said. “She likes to win and she knows I do, too.”
The Vals will rally around returning all-state defender Logun Koch. Numbers are increased for Bigfork this season, so Hauna Trenerry is hopeful things are looking up.
“We're trying to rebuild our program,” she said. “This program (has been) torn down, it's been torn apart.”
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