Platte County’s Finley Kaser had an impressive freshman campaign as the Lady Pirates’ goalkeeper, only allowing eight scores all year.
The Platte County girls’ soccer team had three separate winning streaks of at least six games in 2022 and are looking to have similar success after falling in the Class 3 District 8 Championship.
The Lady Pirates were 22-4 last spring following a 22-3 season in 2021 that ended with a district title and a trip to the state quarterfinals. Platte County had a remarkable defense in 2022, only allowing eight goals all year and recorded 19 shutout victories, with the potential to remain as dangerous in 2023.
“The team is looking good this preseason, they’re excited and motivated to get the season started,” Platte County head girls’ soccer coach Ashlyn Brantley said. “Our numbers coming out are a little low for us, but we believe we have a solid group that will be successful.”
While there are less players than they’ve had in recent memory, the Lady Pirates are bringing back five starters along with seven others who lettered. Sophomore goalkeeper Finley Kaser will look to keep the opponents from scoring once again, while forwards Lauren Stone and Sloan Kassen – along with midfielder Lily Kytasaari – will lead the offense.
“I would see the top scorers being Stone, Kassen and Kytasaari. I can see them leading our attack and they most likely will have more opportunities to score and generate assists,” Brantley said.
Defenders Alex Beeman and Cosette Stephenson join Kaser, Kassen and Kytasaari as the returning starters. Marissa Orellana and Carmen Gentilia saw time on the field last year and are looking to have bigger roles in their junior campaigns, along with sophomores Annabel Beeman, Madison Palmer, Giada Cucchiara and Rylee Burris.
“The key to our success will be to fill the gaps that we lost from the past season. We need a few players to step up and be our goal scorers. We will also need leadership from the back,” Brantley said.