The GHS girls soccer team missed the playoffs last season after attaining that goal in 2023. Last year’s team finished sixth in the 5A West conference race with a league mark of 6-9. Longtime head coach Andrew Post, along with assistant coach Ryan Lensing and volunteer Lane Gassman, have their hands full preparing this year’s group of Lady Bulldogs for another run at the playoffs against a conference lineup of major soccer powers in Northwest Arkansas.
There are 35 names on the Lady Bulldogs’ roster, including nine seniors, six juniors, ten sophomores, and ten freshmen. That is an admittedly young team with freshmen and sophomores making up 57% of the roster. As a result, the 15 juniors and seniors must lead the way for their younger teammates as they gain experience and improve their skills. That could mean some tough sledding early in the season for the Lady Bulldogs until they find firm footing.
This year’s senior class includes Annalise Johnson, Pate Jones, Brooklyn Kelley, Reese Moquett, Payton Scantling, Kaya Simpson, Ally Thomas, Victoria Vanderwatt, and Ava Whitaker. The smaller junior class includes Farah Crossno, Haley Curran, Morgan Denney, Meri Grigoryan, Trinity Spicer, and Jay Townley.
The sophomore class includes Bethany Campora, Adison Compton, Halle Fox, Kaylee Greer, Mazee Hurt, Kiera Johnson, Laylah Kappler, Savannah Koestoer, Zoe Lamb, and Mya Schnauffer. Finally, the ninth graders include Ellie Coggin, Bella Farmer, Harley Gann, Lylla Gatesman, Michelle Gonzalez, Aria Graves, Lyla Loera, Hannah Simpson, Anna Spicer, and Presley Zimmerman.
Coach Post talked about the players he expects to start or play a significant role on this year’s team, starting with his seniors. “Annalise Johnson was ineligible last year because she was homeschooled, so she played JV only. She was on the varsity team as a sophomore. We could have used her last year, but we’re glad to get her back and get the rust knocked off, and she’ll be a contributor this year on the varsity team again. We’ll need her experience, that’s for sure. I’ve got her in a defensive role.”
He next talked about a newcomer to soccer, but one of the better female athletes on campus in Pate Jones, who just finished her basketball career with a first-round loss in the state tournament last week. “She decided to give soccer a try, and she’s a super athletic kid. I’ve watched her for years in basketball. I was very excited that she wanted to give [soccer] a try. She’s going to help us pretty much wherever we put her [because] she’s athletic and physical.
“Payton Scantling is a four-year player for me,” he continued. “She’s my team captain and has always been a staple for us. She’s mostly been on the back line, and I’ve got her at center back this year. She’s got a ton of experience that I can rely on. She’s a great leader on the field. We love having her on the team and we’ll need that leadership. Kaya Simpson has been playing since her freshman year. She gives us speed on the outside. She’s got some wheels on her and a decent leg. She’s got a lot of minutes underneath her belt as well.
“Ally Thomas is a four-year starter,” said Post. “She anchors the middle of the field. She’s my center-mid, an attacking mid. We really need her leadership. We need her to step up offensively this year. Traditionally she’s set up goals, but I’ll need her to put goals in the back of the net this year. Ally is a hard worker who runs both sides of the field. She’ll help out on defense but also give us some offense. We’re excited to have her there.
“Ava Whitaker is in her third year with us, and she’s been solid. She seems to never tire. She will play mainly an attacking role, but I can put her on the back line as well. She’s kind of my utility player. So we’ve got some senior starters who will help us out with experience,” said the coach. Post also mentioned other seniors who will get limited varsity time as reserves and will continue to develop as junior varsity players, including Moquett Reese, Brooklyn Kelley, and Victoria Vanderwatt.
“My junior class is on the small side, and most of those players will fill backup or JV roles,” said the coach. “Farah Crossno is a starter and has been since her freshman year. We missed her in the offseason because of wrestling (she is a state champion wrestler), but she transitions quickly to soccer. It takes her a few games to get back into soccer shape, but she’s one I rely on heavily to put some goals in the back of the net. She’s an attacking player and a competitor. She’s tough and has some quickness, which is what we need because we play in a physical league.
“Trinity Spicer was our backup goalkeeper and got a few starts last year, and now is our starting keeper. She’s been in basketball and is still working off the rust, but she’ll be fine. She’s athletic and will help us defend that goal,” said the coach. Backing up Trinity at keeper will be her young sister, freshman Anna. Other juniors who will see limited varsity time and will play on the JV squad include Denney Morgan, Armenian exchange student Meri Grigoryan, and Jay Townley.
Post then turned his focus onto his sophomores and freshmen who might contribute this season, starting with an unexpected and pleasant surprise in Haley Curran. “She is a homeschool player that’s eligible to play for us. She came to us in the offseason, and I’ve been very impressed with her from a skill standpoint. She grew up playing club soccer. She’s an athletic little spitfire. She’s short but physical. She was all over the field in her first game. I’m excited to have her out there.”
Another top sophomore is basketball player Halle Fox, who just recently joined the soccer team. “This will be her first year. I got a chance to see her tryout and she’s so athletic. She’s probably one of the more athletic kids on campus. Getting her and Pate [Jones] from basketball will bring some more athleticism for us in a tough conference. Her athleticism and speed are going to help us out tremendously on the offensive side.
“Kiera Johnson played varsity last year. She is Annalise’s sister, and she will give us some depth on the varsity team. She got a lot of minutes last year off the bench and she will give us some depth at the mid-field role. Laylah Kappler started just about every game last year at our left back position. She’s injured currently, but we hope to get her back soon. She’s the only returning starter on that back line.” The coach then talked about his ninth-graders.
“Ellie Coggin is a freshman in her first year with us. She got a little experience playing when she was younger, but she’s a super athletic kid with a gymnastics background, so she will be fun to watch this season. I put her in a defensive role at right back. It’s going to be difficult to keep her off the field.” Ellie is the younger sister of GHS senior David “D.J.” Coggin, one of the top players for the Bulldogs.
“Lylla Gatesman is the younger sister of [former GHS star player] Abbey Gatesman and will get a lot of minutes,” the coach continued. “She’s a defensive player and has a lot of experience with good touch on the ball. Michelle Gonzales is another speedy freshman. She’s got to work on her skills, but she’s a tough little speedster who is fast and aggressive. I can see her getting some minutes on varsity, but she will play primarily on junior varsity.
“Hannah Simpson is going to be one of our better offensive players to start as a freshman in Greenwood. She’s going to start at the center-mid position right beside Ally Thomas. She’s been very impressive so far as a freshman. She’s got skills and a canon for a leg. I expect a lot of big things for Hannah. She is the younger sister of [senior] Kaya Simpson. Presley Zimmerman will also develop into a pretty good defensive player and could see some minutes on the varsity team”
Asked about his team’s balance between experience and youth, Post said, “About 40% of our starters will be freshmen and sophomores. I’ve got a lot of senior leadership on the team, but also some young players who are not used to playing at this level. If these younger players can develop quickly, we will be competitive. But it’s asking a lot of them to be ready to play against juniors and seniors. It will be interesting to see how they develop.”
Asked about his impressions of the Maumelle benefit match, Post said, “I think we kind of freaked out in the first half, but the second half we looked a lot better. I was moving girls around and we were missing some players. I wasn’t really disappointed. We are going to develop and get much better as a team. I think we can develop into a pretty good defensive team. We’ll plug and play until we find a good mix.
“It’s gotten even more difficult this year,” said Post of the 2025 conference lineup. “We’ve got two new teams added to our conference. Greenbrier left and Farmington and Shiloh Christian have been bumped up to 5A, and Shiloh Christian made the state finals last year in 4A to go along with Siloam Springs, Russellville, and Harrison. But that doesn’t change what we have to do. [Some of these teams] are powerhouses that could compete on the 6A level. It puts things in perspective, for sure.”