Since the 35th District formed in 2012, Notre Dame has been the last team standing with 11 straight district crowns.
For a program with four state championships, two of them during that span, that really shouldn’t come as a surprise. The closest the Pandas came to defeat since the district aligned was when Beechwood took them to penalty kicks in the 2021 35th District championship. The Pandas went on to win the state championship that year.
The question begs as the season approaches…can anyone end Notre Dame’s 42-game winning streak as a member of the 35th District?
Notre Dame (17-4-2 in 2022)
It’s no secret, Notre Dame is not only the standard in the 35th District and the 9th Region, but all across Northern Kentucky.
The Pandas are hopeful to get 9th Region supremacy back after Highlands has won four of the last five 9th Region titles. With Brian Woeste now in charge replacing Suli Kayed, the one thing he’s really liked about the team in the early stages is their competitiveness.
“Lot of depth in the program, lot of quality players fighting to earn minutes on the varsity team,” Woeste said. “It’s a very competitive group and I’m excited to be able to sift through players that have potential to be great and put them in position to do some great things.”
Hannah Renaker returns in net, Carlyn Tranter and Kim Woeste helping head the back line of defense.
Megan McGraw, Riley Robertson, Sadie Yapp and Scarlet Cogswell are all players that should have a big impact this season offensively. Robertson tied for the team lead with 15 goals last season with Ellie Greenwell, who went on to continue her soccer career at Ohio University. McGraw battled some injuries last season and Woeste expects her to get back to her ‘dominating’ like she did in her freshman season on the state championship team. The four mentioned will either play in the midfield or up top.
While Sacred Heart and defending state champion South Oldham highlight the early part of the schedule, one to circle is the season finale with Highlands on September 25. The Pandas will also play in the Lady Knights Challenge Cup at Lexington Catholic which will feature some of the top teams in the state as they open up with Assumption.
Those games are all built toward framing the right mindset for the program, which every year the goal is to add another state championship trophy to Park Hills.
“This group is a very determined bunch and the most competitive group I’ve ever coached,” Woeste said. “They love each other, but when they practice and train it’s a tryout and a chance to earn minutes and a position on the team.
Beechwood (10-7-3 in 2022)
Guima Camil enters as the new head coach after Josh Young coached the team the past four seasons and led them to two straight 9th Region tournament appearances.
Balance was the name of Beechwood’s game last season and returns all but one player, albeit a key one as Lynden Noll was the lone senior on the team last year. Noll was the goalie, collecting 147 saves and posting a 1.8 goals against per game average.
Sixteen different Beechwood players put a ball in the back of the net last season, no one with more than eight goals led by Ruby Fries. Grace Cottengim, Katie Kocan, Maddy Brauch, Harper Birkemeier, Rylie Kidman and Rose Smith have caught Camil’s attention early on in practice and should be vital pieces to the team in 2023.
“I could keep going, just naming some,” Camil said. “The incredible focus that all of the players have in every session whether it is in the weight room or on the field as well as the ability to understand any technical or tactical concept really makes your job as a coach so easy.”
While building on what the program has been able to accomplish the past two years with back-to-back winning seasons, Camil wants to continue winning, but hopes to put a fun product out to watch, being patient on the ball, but also playing with pace and energy.
“We want to be aggressive and look for the opponents goal and at the same time work together as a team both offensively and defensively,” Camil said.
Camil said he’s also focusing on developing depth, doing as much as he can to get some JV players to play up when the opportunity arises.
Beechwood opens their season on Aug. 7 at Lexington Christian Academy. They’ll play at Notre Dame on Aug. 16, host Holmes on Aug. 19 and play at Holy Cross on Sept. 6 to round out the district slate.
Holy Cross (11-6-4 in 2022)
A penalty kick shootout loss to Beechwood ended the Indians season in 2022 in the 35th District tournament semifinals as they were rolling headed into the postseason. The Indians had a six-game unbeaten streak headed into the matchup.
“It feels like every time we play Beechwood it comes down to PK’s,” Indians coach Brittany Black said, who lost to the Tigers in double overtime the year before in the district semifinals. “We just came up short, but that won’t change our goal this year and that’s to make it back to regionals.”
The season ending loss should motivate a Holy Cross team that was one of the most sound defensively in the region a season ago, allowing just 32 goals in 21 games. They lost eight seniors, but do return their top goal scorer in Ivy Hoffman, who tallied 19 goals and tied for a team-high 10 assists during her junior campaign. Hoffman is committed to Thomas More and has a chance to break the program scoring record this season.
Mia Wilson departs in net, which should pave the way for Suzette Klaiss, who played in 14 games as a backup goalie last season and allowed just six goals.
“She’s grown a lot and her confidence is through the roof,” Black said of her keeper.
From there will be a matter of plugging the right pieces in, Brianna Brunk, Leah Donnellon, Aubrey Bornhorn, Bethany Wood, Addison Saalfeld, Bella Saalfeld and Jenna Saalfeld all returning with at least 19 games played last season. The Saalfeld’s are all cousins and also related to Hoffman as they’ve all grown up playing together and will for one more year in their senior campaign.
Black enters her eighth season at the helm as they look to get back to the 9th Region tournament for the first time since 2020.
Holy Cross opens their season on Aug. 7 at reigning 9th Region champ Highlands.
District contests with Holmes (Aug. 9), Notre Dame (Aug. 19) and Beechwood (Sept. 6) will give them a gauge of where they need to be come early October.
Holmes (4-15 in 2022)
The Bulldogs will be under new direction in 2023 as Morgan Gilvin takes over for Juliana Rizzo after a two-year stint as head coach.
The team continues to build up, the four wins last season the most they’ve had in a season since 2003. It’s the third straight season they’ve fielded a full team and competed in the district tournament. Prior to 2020, they didn’t compete in the district tournament from 2016-19.
“They know what it takes to build from the bottom up and over the last three years with my involvement in the program, my girls have yet to let me down,” Gilvin said. “I am so proud to be their coach and their determination to achieve.”
Gilvin’s first order of business will be centered around shoring up a defense that gave up a region-high 86 goals in 19 contests last season. They’ll also have to replace Alexia Hicks, who graduated and recorded 347 saves in 2022.
Based off 2022’s roster, returning is their top two offensive players, Tessah Bailey (10 goals) and Melissa Leal (six goals), the two combining for 80% of the team’s goals last season. Dani Lake, Kat Collins, Natashalee Cole and Emily Asher also return having played at least 18 games each and producing at least a goal or an assist last season.
“Soccer has taught my players leadership, accountability, determination and so much more. Most of our players have never played soccer before,” Gilvin said. “They have fallen in love with every aspect of what being a part of a sports team is about.”
Holmes opens their season up with district foe Holy Cross on Aug. 9.