The pieces are there for Allen Community College’s women to remain near the top of the Jayhawk Conference soccer standings in 2024.
“But as my grandfather often told me, the proof is in the pudding,” Red Devil head coach Jeremy McGinnis said.
In order for Allen to keep on the upward track — and build on last year’s 9-5 campaign — the Red Devils will have to rely on young talent this fall.
“We’ve got a lot of great athletes,” McGinniss said. “It’s a matter of getting everybody on the same page, getting them to buy into the system and then play the game we’ve used to be successful.”
Allen returns only five players from last year’s squad, which capped a season’s worth of drama into its last two matches, a scintillating 1-0 win over rival Neosho County in the Region VI playoffs to mark McGinnis’s 100th career victory. But the magic carpet ride ended three days later with a 2-0 loss to Johnson County in the Region VI championship. (Johnson County wound up advancing through the national tournament before falling in the championship game to Jones College.)
A NUMBER of leaders have stepped up already after two preseason scrimmages in advance of next Friday’s opener at St. Louis Community College.
Incoming freshman Martha Joseph has already thrived as a defensive center, McGinnis said, and Audrey Smith — the team’s leading returning scorer — should be an offensive force.
“Audrey is quick and fast and athletic,” McGinnis said. “She gets behind the opponent’s back lines and can really break down their defense with her pace.”
Makenna Blanchat, another returning sophomore, will suit up as a midfielder, “but we could drop her in the back line if we need,” McGinnis said. “She can play multiple positions.”
Incoming freshmen Luna Van Tilborg and Jillian Muehlberger also have impressed their coaches in the early going.
“Jillian is another one who can play any position,” McGinnis said. “She’s very versatile. And Luna hasn’t come off the field in either of our scrimmages. She’s been absolutely phenomenal.”
But for the most part, that freshman talent remains untested.
“We could have an entire freshman back line and goalkeeper, which is concerning,” McGinnis said. “We’re still sorting things out.”
SOMETIMES the training extends beyond the soccer field, McGinnis noted. His roster features players from eight foreign countries, many of whom had not heard of Kansas until arriving at Allen.
“That can be a bit of a culture shock,” he said. “My goal is to not let that stuff get in the way of soccer.”
