Sarah Thatcher was also part of what the coaches call the Three Amigos up top. The trio ac- counted for 38 goals a season ago, but just as importantly they provided the leadership that made the locomotive move. Re- placing them won’t be easy. “They just had this way about them ... they finished each others sentences, they flowed together, and that’s not some- thing you coach or even de- velop,” Currans said. “It just happened organically.” Who fills that leadership void on the pitch this spring? It will start with this crop of seniors, veteran players like Claire Koe- nig, Abby Patel, Anna Saltzman, and Taylor Pyle. Koenig and Patel rifled in nine and eight goals, respectively, a season ago. Saltzman, who was a part of the rotation during the 2023 march to the state finals, missed the majority of the 2024 campaign due to injury. Pyle is a rock on the back line and will be called upon to be a defen- sive stopper again this spring. “We’re already seeing some great leadership out of those girls,” Currans said. “Claire Koenig, she came to us and said she wanted to do some things to help build a com- munity within our team, and she asked if we were OK with her brining in some different activ- ities during open gyms. She did that all on her own, it was planned by her, and she got
Powers. “And Madisen won’t back down from anything. She’s ultra competitive.” If healthy, junior Lila Krucken- berg will have the opportunity to join Koenig and Powers in the middle of the field. Fellow junior Keaton Hanson provides more experience, as she’ll return as a standout on the defense. Also returning in the back will be sophomores Sammy Johnson an Kennady Hansen. And don’t forget, talented goa- lie Annika Yoder-Stoulil, also a junior, returns as well. She col- lected 36 saves a season ago. Another thing that won’t change for Gilbert is a treacher- ous schedule. Not only will the Raccoon River Conference slate be difficult (what else is new?), the non-conference por- tion with matches against the likes of Nevada, Des Moines Christian, Southeast Polk, Pella, and Dallas Center- Grimes will be anything but easy. An undefeated campaign probably won’t be in the cards, but that’s the last thing the coaches will worry about. They know a tough schedule will only be beneficial come the postsea- son when the same goal as al- ways comes into focus. “If you ask the girls, there’s no difference this year than there was last year with goals,” Jones said.
MONDAY, MARCH 31: NEVADA Information: At Nevada, 7 p.m. varsity start time
THURSDAY, MAY 8: PERRY Information: At Tiger Stadium, Gilbert, 7 p.m. varsity start time
THURSDAY, APRIL 3: DES MOINES CHRISTIAN Information: At Des Moines, 7 p.m. varsity start time
SATURDAY, MAY 10: NORTH POLK Information: At Tiger Stadium, Gilbert, 7 p.m. varsity start time
MONDAY, APRIL 7: BALLARD Information: At Tiger Stadium, Gilbert, 7 p.m. varsity start time
TUESDAY, MAY 13: CARLISLE Information: At Carlisle, 7 p.m. varsity start time
THURSDAY, APRIL 10: SOUTHEAST POLK Information: At Tiger Stadium, Gilbert, 7 p.m. varsity start time
FRIDAY, MAY 16: DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES Information: At Grimes, 7 p.m. varsity start time
MONDAY, APRIL 14: ADM Information: At Adel, 7 p.m. varsity start time
THURSDAY, APRIL 17: PELLA Information: At Pella, 7 p.m. varsity start time
VARSITY
JUNIOR VARSITY
No.
Name
Gr Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Fr. So. Sr. Sr. So. Fr. So.
No.
Name
Gr Jr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. So. So.
1 2 4 6 7
Claire Koenig Raya Mueller Lila Kruckenberg Madisen Powers Anna Saltzman Keaton Hanson Michelle Ockey
4 5 8
Lila Kruckenberg Rylie Jordison Lillian Cassady Maggie Danilson Scarlett Murdoch Isla Wadsley Ali Doolittle Kaylin Richards Kylie Marquette Charlotte Lepper
TUESDAY, APRIL 22: BOONE Information: At Tiger Stadium, Gilbert, 5:30 p.m. start time
10 15 18 19 23 25 27 30 34 35 37 38 41 42 44 53
11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 26 30 34
FRIDAY, APRIL 25: WINTERSET Information: At Winterset, 7 p.m. varsity start time
good results.” “The silent partner would be Taylor Pyle,” Jones said. “She’s not going to say a whole lot, but that girl shows up and plays hard all the time.” In addition to a solid core of seniors, Gilbert will rely on jun- ior attacking midfielder Madisen Powers, who is a supreme tal-
ent on the pitch. A starter since her freshman season, Powers contributed 13 goals and nine assists a season ago while dealing with an abundance of attention from opposing de- fenses match after match after match. And that’s not going to be any different this season. “She’s a first-team all-state caliber player,” Jones said of
Annika Yoder-Stoulil Jr.
Greta Platts Taylor Pyle
TUESDAY, APRIL 29: BONDURANT-FARRAR Information: At Bondurant, 7 p.m. varsity start time
Sammy Johnson Isla Wadsley Ali Doolittle Allie Grandgenett Kaylin Richards
Emma Deal Izzy Terrones Lilly Cowan Bianca Goetz
FRIDAY, MAY 2: MASON CITY Information: At Tiger Stadium, Gilbert, 7 p.m. varsity start time
Breeonna Iddings Mady Hermsen Alexandria Weary Carly Saienga
Abby Patel
Kennady Hansen
Emma Deal Izzy Terrones
TUESDAY, MAY 6: CARROLL Information: At Tiger Stadium, Gilbert, 7 p.m. varsity start time
Noreen Diaconu Voinea So.
34 GAME ON | SPRING 2025
SPRING 2025 | GAME ON 35
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