It will take a team effort for the Ankeny girls’ soccer squad to replace one of the best players in school history.
Midfielder Alli Macke graduated last year after leading the Hawkettes to an 11-3-3 record and an appearance in the Class 3A state tournament. She scored a team-high 16 goals and also had five assists.
Macke was a repeat selection to the Class 3A all-state first team. She then joined the Iowa women’s program, where she helped the Hawkeyes reach the NCAA Tournament last fall.
“Alli is the kind of player that you can’t just replace, so we will have to try to replace her production collectively,” said Ankeny coach Gavin Mason. “We are returning a group of girls who have a lot of varsity experience and are very connected and together, so I believe that we are set up well to do just that!”
Mason, a former Ankeny player, has taken over the Hawkettes’ program following the departure of coach Simon Brown–who left to become an assistant coach for the Wisconsin men’s team. Brown guided Ankeny to an 87-23-4 mark over the last six seasons, including a Class 3A championship in 2019.
“We have been holding open gyms/turf and weightlifting sessions, and it has been fun to get to know the girls!” said Mason, whose team started practice on March 23. “They have all been great to work with so far.”
Ankeny returns 13 varsity regulars, led by senior forward Ava Paoli. Paoli scored six goals and racked up a team-high eight assists as a junior.
Paoli was named to the Class 3A all-state first team and to the Class 3A West all-district squad by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. She also joined Macke on the CIML Conference first team.
Defenders Avery Taylor and Sophia Kephart are also back after earning all-district honors. They were part of one of the state’s best defensive units that recorded 12 clean sheets.
Kephart, a junior, also scored one goal and had two assists. She was a second-team all-conference selection.
Taylor, a senior, added a goal and an assist. She was a third-team all-conference pick.
Among the other returnees are seniors Kyla Schaapveld and Sydney Van Houweling, junior Isabel Squires, and sophomores Kiersten Petersen and Abby Steinkamp. They also earned all-conference honors.
Squires, a midfielder who scored four goals and had one assist, joined Kephart on the all-conference second team. She recently committed to play for North Dakota State.
Steinkamp, a forward, had five goals and four assists–placing third on the squad in both categories. She joined Taylor on the all-conference third team.
Van Houweling, a forward, contributed one goal and an assist. She has twice earned all-conference honorable mention in her career.
Petersen, a defender, scored a pair of goals. She also earned all-conference honorable mention along with Schaapveld, a midfielder who is headed to Central College to play basketball.
The other returning varsity regulars are senior Allison Hawkins, juniors Isabella and Presley Sullivan, and sophomores Paige Hartz and Abby Stetich.
Presley Sullivan scored a goal and had two assists last year. Hawkins, who will play for Central, added an assist.
Hartz will compete for the starting goalkeeper position after serving as a backup behind Sylvia Bartlett and Claire Close as a freshman. She made a pair of saves in 88 minutes of action.
“We have a very connected group that all clearly enjoy being around each other,” Mason said. “We have an excellent class of seniors who are not just great players, but also excellent people and leaders. That has been a huge help in bringing in a mostly new coaching staff. In our early discussions thus far, I think there has been good buy in and a lot of excitement for the upcoming season, for what we want to accomplish, and for the way we want to do things this year.”
Ankeny will open its season on April 2 by hosting a non-conference game against Cedar Falls. The Hawkettes will find out right away if they can overcome the loss of Macke, who accounted for 41 percent of the team’s goals, as well as the defensive prowess of Bartlett and Close–who combined for 39 saves while allowing just eight goals.
“The biggest keys to success for our team will be our ability to replace the production of that strong senior class,” Mason said. “Our younger players, who got valuable varsity experience last year, will need to take a step forward.”
Mason said the team was planning to set some goals for the season during the first week of practice. It’s pretty clear, though, that the talent is there for the Hawkettes to keep playing into June.
Ankeny has qualified for the state tournament every year since 2016, when the Hawkettes lost to Dowling Catholic in a regional semifinal. Mason’s sister, Cambri, was a freshman on that squad.
“We have a history and a culture of excellence in the Hawkette soccer program which means that we expect to be competitive in the conference, to get better every day, and to be competing come state tournament time in June,” Mason said.