Lady ‘Cats taking aim at Big 8 crown for first time

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Cassville girls soccer team has a chance to make history this season.

At 9-3 after bagging a second 1-0 victory over Monett this season, with the April 21 victory coming via an extra-time goal by Makayla Connolley, the Lady Wildcats have five regular-season games remaining and the possibility of topping the 13-win 2024 season by one.

Jake Forste, Cassville girls soccer coach, said the foundation for this season’s success so far was built early.

“We talked early in the season about just really trying to execute simple things at a high level,” Forste said. “So we didn’t even install alternate formations until like the third or fourth week of the season. We’re a pretty standard based 4-4-2, but we can shift out of that if necessary to be more defensive or more attacking. But, we really haven’t switched out of that much at all.”

Forste said he believes that formation consistency has allowed the Lady Wildcats to be more consistent in the run of play, attacking and defending. 

“It’s really just the one shape and just being consistent,” he said. “I think the biggest thing in terms of goal scoring, both wingers are returning starters, juniors Annabelle Mills and Lydia Cups, but they’re both just way more dynamic out wide. 

“We’ve really tried to utilize the width this year, and then we’ve just gotten some freshmen in the attacking group, like Raegan Doucet, Briley Artherton and Gracy Farsungchin, that have really just allowed us to be more dynamic, have more success and go about it that way.”

While the Lady Wildcats have produced results, Forste said maintaining the same level of play regardless of opponent has been a challenge.

“I think for us, it’s just setting a standard and not ever backing down from that standard,” he said. “Our three best games this year have been our three losses — against extremely quality opponents. New Covenant is 9-2, Bolivar is consistently top 10 in the state, and Rogersville is currently No. 2 in the state. We just stood so tall and firm against those teams and really played at a high level. So, when we play the weaker opponents, we tend to not play at that same standard.”

Forste said that has crested the challenge of ignoring the quality of opponent and focusing on what Cassville can control. 

“We’re focusing on ourselves and, again, executing at a high level regardless of opponent,” he said. “I’d say, trying to just encourage everyone, the communication, the effort, the intensity, the relentlessness — it should never drop, regardless of time, score or opponent. That’s probably been the biggest challenge.”

That emphasis on internal standards paid off in conference play, including a pair of key wins over Monett, capped by the extra-time victory.

“That’s obviously been a goal for us these last couple years is put ourselves in a position to win the conference, and doing so enhances district seeding as well,” Forste said. “That was a check mark on our season checklist. Getting both those [Monett] games was huge. 

“We were in a position to do so last year and didn’t get it done at home. We gave up one pretty late in the game and as far as last Tuesday, it was a knock down, drag out. We knew throw the records out the window. They don’t matter, and it was exactly what we thought it would be.”

Forste said the team thought the game had potential to go the distance. 

“It felt like we should have converted some chances throughout the contest, but we didn’t,” he said. “But luckily, we didn’t make any mistakes that cost us. So it felt pretty good. It felt like the way we utilized our subs and just went deeper off the bench, like that’s what flipped the game in the last 20 minutes.

“Then, in the three minutes of overtime, it just felt like we had the legs, and they were gassing out a little bit. So that was really the difference, and that shows you kind of how far we’ve come to have that kind of depth where we can. That’s a team with double the amount of players that we have, so the fact that we only have 22 girls, but ended up having more depth, as far as that contest, I think that shows you how far we’ve come with our reserves, with the program. It was just a great, great win overall.”

Now, Cassville sits in control of its conference destiny with an opportunity to finish unbeaten in Big 8 play.

“As far as Big Eight standings go, we’re 4-0 with a game left versus Aurora and a game left versus McDonald County, two opponents we’ve beaten so far this season,” Forste said. “If we do win both of those, we would have an undefeated 6-0 record in the Big 8, and that would be a first for us to win the conference.”

Forste said what’s contributed to that conference success is a team-wide effort.

“We haven’t given up many goals, and we have six shutouts at this point,” he said. “So, you love to see that kind of stability in the back. But at the same time, we’ve done a pretty good job scoring the ball as well, and our depth has been tested multiple games. We’ve had three or four games where bring us down to number 18, 19 or 20 on the roster, and we’ve managed to see it through. I think our depth, our defensive stability for the most part, and our offensive prowess, you put it all together and it’s no secret that we’re having some success.”

Beyond conference play, the postseason looms with one of the toughest districts in Class 2, leaving little margin for error regardless of seeding.

“This district is incredibly potent,” Forste said. “We currently have five of the top 17 teams in Class 2, which is just crazy. There’s eight districts with seven or eight teams each, and what are the odds? But that’s just what it is. Springfield Catholic looks like they’ll be the No. 1 seed, Rogersville looks like the No. 2, and we’ve got Clinton, Osage and Cassville battling it out for the No. 3.”

Forste said it’s hard to say where those chips will fall, as Cassville does not face Clinton or Osage in the regular season. 

“They have both come in and out of the district,” he said. “We picked up Bolivar thinking we’d see Bolivar, but we haven’t. They’re not in our district this year, so that’ll be a wild card. If it comes down to the ranking system, currently, Clinton is No. 13, Osage is No. 16 and Cassville is No. 17, so there’s not much separating those teams. 

“It’ll probably come down to common opponents or state ranking tie breakers. So we’ll have to see. We could be as high as a three, we could be as low as a five. And it doesn’t matter the opponent. This district, No. 1 through No. 7, is going to be a slog. It’ll come down to set pieces, one goal games and executing at a high level when it matters most.”

With the District tournament still a couple weeks away, Forste said the roster’s balance of experience and youth has been a defining characteristic for Cassville, with contributions coming across the lineup.

“A number of factors stand out,” Forste said. “We’ve had an absolutely lights out season out of senior goalkeeper Ava Henson. She’s been phenomenal. In the Aurora game last week, she sent, I believe, 11 punts out of bounds for a goal kick on the other side of the field. She has that ability to flip the field and get us out of a jam. This spring, these winds can be pretty crazy. So, when you see a 40- or 50-mile-an-hour wind, it can be hard to get out of your side of the field. Sometimes she’s able to just save us with her distance off the punt, and her hands have been incredible.”

Forste said senior captain Tyra Sturgill in the midfield has been a model of consistency, attacking, defending and supporting both blocks. 

“We talked about the wingers becoming more dynamic this season, and then we talked about these freshmen coming in, and we’ve said since day one, and before day one, it’s like, ‘Hey you guys, it’s unfair, but you don’t get to be freshmen this year. We can’t have freshmen mistakes, and we can’t have the growing pains. We need you guys to come in and be like seasoned veterans from day one,’” Forste said. “And, for the most part, they’ve answered that bell. I think they’ve enjoyed the challenge, and we’ve certainly enjoyed the influx of talent. So it’s really just been a team endeavor, top to bottom, everyone contributing.”