Billy Hurst File Photo | For The Telegraph
James B. Ritter File Photo | For The Telegraph
With postseason action looming on the horizon, a glance at area girls prep soccer reveals plenty of the usual suspects in the scoring race.
But not at the very top.
While players from Alton High, Edwardsville and Marquette Catholic are indeed represented, their players don’t sit atop the scoring list. In fact, a Redbird, Tiger or Explorer isn’t even second.
Staunton’s Sydney Bridges, with 20 goals and seven assists, is the leading scorer among Telegraph-area teams with a whopping 47 total points (two points for each goal and one for each assist).
Bridges, a senior forward, is already ahead of her pace from last season, when she finished with 18 goals and five assists. While she and teammate Lee Ann Johnson (eight goals, two assists) have found the net, Staunton’s had trouble keeping others off the scoreboard. The Bulldogs have given up 41 goals on the season. Monday against South Central Conference rival Pana, the visiting Panthers grabbed a 3-1 victory, despite a pair of goals by Bridges.
The No. 2 area scorer in Gillespie’s Paige Niemeyer, who’s knocked in 13 goals and has 11 assists for 37 points. Teammate Maria Clarke has 12 goals and four assists for 28 points. Each scored three goals in the Miners’ latest win, a 7-0 shutout of Athens. Gillespie is 5-10.
While Bridges and Niemeyer are doing their damage in Class 1A, Bri Hatfield of Alton as put together a 12-goals and six assists effort in Class 3A competition. Hatfield scored a goal in Alton’s latest victory, a 3-0 decision over Columbia.
“(Hatfield) is solid and sees the field so well,” Alton coach Jeff Hayes said. “She creates a lot and is in the middle of just about everything that happens offensively.”
Alton got off to a 5-0 start. The Redbirds are 10-3-2 overall and is 0-2-1 in the Southwestern Conference heading into Monday’s 5 p.m. showdown against rival Edwardsville.
Three players are tied for the No. 3 spot among area scorers. Morgan Wilson of Civic Memorial (11 goals, six assists), Clarke of Gillespie and Roxana’s Emma Lucas (12 goals, four assist) each has 28 total points.
“Emma is just a good, strong player,” Roxana coach Lori Yates said of the shells’ top scorer. “She’s level-headed and she doesn’t get nervous. she’s very good with the ball and sees the field well.
“I think Emma’s is actually faster with the ball at her feet than she is without it.”
The Shells have three others with double figures in total points. Abby Kurth (six goals, no assists) and Brittany Alexander (three goals, six assists) have 12 each and Haley Milazzo (two goals, six assist) has 10
Edwardsville’s Abigail Crabtree has 11 goals and four assists for 26 points and teammate Ashlin West has added six goals and four assists for the 13-2-1 Tigers. Edwardsville, 2-0-1 in the SWC, is riding a 10-game winning streak and has outscored its opposition 38-10.
Marquette’s Annabelle Copeland is also among the scoring leaders with 26 points on nine goals and eight assists for the Explorers and CM’s Cassie hall (eight goals, eight assists) is right behind her with 24 points.
Carlinville, which has outscored its opposition 52-19, features a five players among the leaders. The Cavies are led by Maggie Nicholson, nine goals and two assists for 20 points. But also in the mix are Gabby Marchiori (seven goals, three assists) with 17 points, Lynde Gibbs (seven goals, two assists) and Hanna Lair (eight goals) with 16 each and Sloan Nickel (six goals, three assist) with 15.
Among goalies, Edwardsville’s Regan Windau sports the lowest goals-against average in the area at a minuscule 0.59. She’s 10-2-1 with nine shutouts.
Alton’s Julia-May Campbell has an 0.88 GAA. She’s 7-2 and has made 40 saves en route to notching three shutouts.
Lauren Fischer of Marquette has six shutouts in goal and sports a 1.25 GAA, Carlinville’s Ashley Campbell has six shutouts with a 1.25 GAA and Roxana’s Braeden Lackey has a 1.28 GAA and four shutouts.
