The Platte County girls soccer team will lean on the experience of its nine seniors as they hunt for their first district championship since 2021.
The Pirates are looking to build from a 9-11 season a year ago, bowing out in the district semifinals for the second straight season. While they have some returning players from last year, they also have help elsewhere.
Head coach Ashlyn Brantley, entering her 16th season, is excited for her squad this year after getting some players back from injuries and some who didn’t play last year. With all the experience of 15 returning players put together, it will make for an exciting team to watch over the course of the season.
“I believe one of our strengths will be how we can possess the ball and stay calm under pressure,” Brantley said. “We have many players who can play a one, two-touch game which keeps the ball moving, but still manage to take players on when needed.”
The Pirates’ offense saw a drop-off of 2.5 goals per game in 2023 to 2.1 goals in 2024. This year’s team has shown promising signs to get back above the 2.0 threshold.
“We look to be very competitive in the attack and conservative on the defensive end,” Brantley said. “We have a lot of returners, so we know how to work together and play off each other.”
The defensive efforts will be anchored by reigning all-district senior goalkeeper Finley Kaser. Kaser will hope to help her team to improve defensively after the Pirates conceded 1.9 goals per game in 2024, the most they’ve allowed in over a decade.
After opening the season hosting the annual Platte County Invitational, the Pirates will head directly into conference play with eight games in a three-week span.