Pitch fever; record number set to compete

Taking the pitch in 2023 for the Decorah girls soccer team are (front, l-r) Alexandra Kane, Kylie O’Hara, Madison Heim, Amelia Dugger, Grace Neal, Thea Schissel, Ada Lovelace; (second row) Rebecca Bruening, Isabella Bishop, Ella Grouws, Ellen Rooney, Francisca Munoz Infante, Sylvia Sandhorst, Sophia Christman, Mya Redenius; (third row) Head Coach Loren Hendrickson, Paige Wrightsman, Gabrielle Dixon, Katherine Kelly, Jorja Folkedahl, Abbie Valkosky, Elayna Hook, Lydia Monreal-Rice, Asst. Coach Kyrie Jorgenson; (fourth row) Addison Lukes-Smith, Ellie Rolfs, Sara Johanningmeier, Lillian Jensen, mgr. Karmyn Bakken, Ivy Sullivan, Amelia Wadsworth, Savannah O’Reilly, Hannah Arendt; (back row) Anastasia Simon, Clara Hjelle, Kyra O’Hara, Lily Swenson, Allison Ortiz, Jessalyn Lozano, Elsa Christman and Nora Lesmeister. Not pictured is Brooklyn Fromm. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)

By Becky Walz,

Taking the pitch in 2023 for the Decorah girls soccer team are (front, l-r) Alexandra Kane, Kylie O’Hara, Madison Heim, Amelia Dugger, Grace Neal, Thea Schissel, Ada Lovelace; (second row) Rebecca Bruening, Isabella Bishop, Ella Grouws, Ellen Rooney, Francisca Munoz Infante, Sylvia Sandhorst, Sophia Christman, Mya Redenius; (third row) Head Coach Loren Hendrickson, Paige Wrightsman, Gabrielle Dixon, Katherine Kelly, Jorja Folkedahl, Abbie Valkosky, Elayna Hook, Lydia Monreal-Rice, Asst. Coach Kyrie Jorgenson; (fourth row) Addison Lukes-Smith, Ellie Rolfs, Sara Johanningmeier, Lillian Jensen, mgr. Karmyn Bakken, Ivy Sullivan, Amelia Wadsworth, Savannah O’Reilly, Hannah Arendt; (back row) Anastasia Simon, Clara Hjelle, Kyra O’Hara, Lily Swenson, Allison Ortiz, Jessalyn Lozano, Elsa Christman and Nora Lesmeister. Not pictured is Brooklyn Fromm. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)

The foundation is set for the Decorah girls soccer team with 40 athletes competing for a spot on the pitch as the 2023 season gets underway. All that is needed is the weather to cooperate so they can get time on the field.
Looking to add to the historic program is Loren Hendrickson who is in his sixth season with the Vikings.

A solid effort
The Vikings of 2022 featured a fairly veteran team hoping to move through the regular season smoothly. Leading the way was nine returning letter winners, including a veteran goalkeeper in Grace Bachelder who had 150 saves in the prior season.
The playoffs were short-lived in a game that was up for grabs in Class 2A Region 6 action as the Vikes couldn’t put the ball in the goal when they needed to most, dropping the contest 1-0 to Marion. Decorah finished the season with a 5-13 record.

The nucleus
The Vikes lost four seniors to graduation last year, all with a long resume of experience. At the top is goalkeeper Grace Bachelder who was a second team Iowa Girls Coaches Association honoree, along with Morgan Dlhy, Karen Henriquez and Mikiah Krieg.
Despite some heavy hitters gone, cupboard is far from bare for the Blue and Red. The Vikings returns X letter winners. Vikings back with experience are Amelia Dugger, Bella Bishop, Ella Grouws, Madison Heim, Grace Neal, Ellen Rooney, Gabi Discon, Sara Johanningmeier, Addy Lukes-Smith and Amelia Wadsworth.
The Vikings add seniors Mya Redenius, Thea Schissel, Ada Lovelace, Kylie O’Hara; juniors Eleayna Hook, Jorja Folkedahl; and freshmen Nora Lesmeister, Clara Hjelle, Brooklyn Fromm and Anastasia Simon.

Ready for spring
“Our biggest concern is the loss of our goalkeeper to graduation with nobody behind her to fill the void. We will need to find someone willing to play the position,” pointed out Coach Hendrickson. “A major piece of any success we might have will depend on the goalkeeper we find. I hope some new faces will help us improve on our season from last year.”

Submit A Comment

Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments