MOREHEAD | Thirteen returning players have begun spring practice for the 2024 NCAA Tournament Morehead State soccer team as the club starts preparation for the 2025 season. They are joined by five newcomers coach
Paul Cox brought in at the semester break.
The team began part-time practice on January 14 and the full 20-hour-week workouts the final week of February.
Morehead State (9-8-6/4-3-2) has five scrimmages set for the spring, beginning Thursday (March 13) at home against the University of Charleston (W.Va.) at 5 p.m.
"It's been good, (although) obviously different with the amount of people gone," said head coach
Paul Cox, who just completed his first year. "But the culture has been very, very good. The transfers have settled in well, (I) even named one captain. We had a mid-year freshman as well who's doing well. It's been enjoyable. (I) just would like a few more players for practice."
Morehead State is coming off a record-setting campaign in which it advanced to its second straight NCAA Tournament, posted its best-ever road record, notched its lowest team goals against average and played its most games, while also tying the milestone for longest road unbeaten streak.
The Blue and Gold finished in fifth in the OVC standings, but advanced to the championship game where it came up short against Lindenwood, 3-2. MSU then fell to third-ranked Wake Forest in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, 4-0. The Demon Deacons advanced all the way to the national final before losing to North Carolina.
This spring, the Eagles will be young, with only two returning players with three years of experience. Eight individuals who participated in 20 or more games this past season are back, including four starters: junior midfielder
Kennedy Baquero (23 games, three goals, one assist, seven points, 40 shots), sophomore defender
Hannah Burke (23 games, one goal, two assists, four points, 12 shots), junior midfielder
Kamryn Baquero (22 games, one goal, one assist, three points, 12 shots), and freshman defender
Ella Fuller (23 games, three assists, three points, 12 shots).
Burke was named as a second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection a year after being named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team. Freshman forward
Ava Peck, who started 18 times (23 games, three goals, two assists, eight points, 22 shots), and
Kennedy Baquero each earned a spot on the 2024 OVC All-Newcomer Team.
Five other freshmen who played key roles also return, goalkeeper
Claire Cress (nine games, 3-2-1 record, 0.88 goals against average, .818 save percentage, 27 saves), forward
Carlie Thurmond (23 games, three goals, two assists, eight points, 18 shots), forward
BB Bonzheim (22 games, two assists, two points, two shots), forward
Carly Gilbert (20 goals, one assist, one point, eight shots) and freshman midfielder
Elena Scianna (eight games).
Three individuals who redshirted this past fall are also back. That group includes sophomore midfielder
Gwen Ladd, freshman defender
McKenna Young and freshman defender
Colletta Hardman.
MSU will have to replace several key players from the fall including: five defenders (
Anna Lohrer,
Gracen Houck,
Natasha Tanner,
Marinna Campos and
Madison Feldhaus), three forwards (
Erin Fite,
Hedda Ornberg and
Jade Perrin), midfielder
Mary Trudeau and goalkeeper
Lilly Bailey. Lohrer, Fite and Feldhaus each graduated. Three others who sat out the season: goalkeeper
Reegan Garrity, forward
Brylie Tavares-Bright and defender
Kylie Bender also elected not to return.
Five newcomers dot the spring roster, four of which are Division I transfers: goalkeeper
Sofia Rodriguez (Western Carolina/Newport Central Catholic High School/Taylor Mill, Ky.), midfielder
Molly Tapak (Southern Illinois/Center Grove High School/Greenwood, Ind.), forward
Keara Chaffee (Omaha/Blair High School/Blair, Neb.) and defender
Hannah Carter (Murray State/Greenwood High School/Bowling Green, Ky.). The team also added freshman defender
Faith Peper, a December graduate of Mahtomedi High School in Mahtomedi, Minn. Peper's Zephyrs won the state Class 2A state championship this fall.
The Eagles will play five times this spring. After the Charleston (W.Va.) contest, MSU will entertain Fairmont State (W.Va.) and Pikeville (Ky.) on Saturday, Mar. 29, then travel for the only time, when they will meet Miami (Ohio) in Oxford, Ohio, on Sunday, Apr. 13, before closing out the spring campaign with a home game against Georgetown (Ky.) on Saturday, Apr. 26.
