After allowing just three goals last season, the Ankeny girls’ soccer team will return some of the key parts of its defensive unit.
Senior Elizabeth Proctor, junior Sophie Loeffler and sophomore Avery Taylor all started on the back line for a squad that posted a 12-4-1 record and advanced to the Class 3A state tournament. They are among the Hawkettes’ seven returning all-conference players.
Proctor contributed three assists as a junior, when she was named to the CIML Conference second team. She is now healthy after suffering a torn ACL during the Hawkettes’ 1-0 loss to Dowling Catholic in the Class 3A quarterfinals.
“The most important thing, after last season, is to stay healthy,” said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. “We had to deal with multiple ACLs, broken legs and torn retinas–just to name a few (of our injuries) in 2023. The girls are excited to be back together as a group. The coaching staff is excited to work with the girls again, help them grow as a team, and enjoy their high school experience.”
Loeffler, a St. Cloud State recruit, had one goal and was a third-team all-conference pick last season. Taylor, meanwhile, earned all-league honorable mention.
The Hawkettes will have to replace goalkeeper Jasmine Moser and defender Jenna Pitz, who were both all-staters a year ago. Senior Taevah Ganahi and junior Claire Close are battling for the goalkeeper position–they combined for nine saves in limited minutes last season.
Junior Kamryn Scheib, an all-state volleyball player last fall, has joined the team and could become a solid defender.
“We were lucky to have Kamryn come back out for soccer. She is a stud volleyball player,” Brown said. “She played club soccer up until two years ago, but she stopped to focus on volleyball. She’ll help out the back line and hopefully fill in for Jenna.”
Ankeny’s other top returnees are senior forward Emma Gott, junior midfielders Camryn Dietz and Alli Macke, and sophomore forward Ava Paoli.
Macke, an Iowa recruit, led the Hawkettes a year ago with 16 points, racking up six goals and four assists. She was a second-team all-conference selection and was also named to the Class 3A all-state second team by the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association.
Dietz had six goals and one assist last season, while Paoli added five goals and an assist. They were both third-team all-conference picks.
Gott, another St. Cloud State recruit, chipped in two goals and one assist. She received all-conference honorable mention.
Sophomore forward Sydney Van Houweling is also back. She scored the winning goal in Ankeny’s 1-0 overtime victory against North Polk in last year’s season opener before suffering a torn ACL three days later during a game against Council Bluffs Lincoln.
The Hawkettes will host ADM in the Ankeny Jamboree on Friday at 7 p.m. They will officially open the season next weekend, when they host Dallas Center-Grimes on March 29 and Ames on March 30 in the Crosstown Invitational.
“We trained during spring break with the kids that were here for a few days, and it was nice to be able to get some early evaluations done on the younger kids to see where they will line up,” Brown said. “We got through some tryouts on Monday and Tuesday, so we plan to hit the ground running Wednesday and Thursday before our Jamboree on Friday.”
