KALIDA – Coming off of their first regional appearance since 2015 the Kalida Lady Cats will feature just one senior as they look to claim a league crown and make another deep playoff run.
“We’re a very young team with just one senior. Our conditioning and stamina will be tested at the beginning of the season as we play a very tough schedule” stated Kalida’s mentor David Kehres.
Senior midfielder Kenzie Fortman leads a young but experienced Lady Cats squad that finished with four wins in their last five outings before falling 3-1 in November to eventual state semifinalist Liberty Benton in the regional semifinals.
Longtime head coach David Kehres begins his 16th year at the helm and sports a 171-77-30 mark that has featured four straight winning seasons and at least a district semifinals appearance for the program.
Unlike the opening four games of last season where they found themselves starting at 1-3 and in games all on the road, this season Kalida will begin their first four on their own pitch when they welcome Archbold, Van Buren, Liberty Benton, and Lima Central Catholic to town before the calendar turns to September.
“This years group of girls is a hard working group who are energetic and come to practice with a positive attitude and good work ethic” said Kehres on his teams biggest strength.
Defensively the Lady Cats will be expected to carry the squad until the offense comes around according to Kehres, a task made even more difficult as the graduation of multiple year starters will force newcomers into more minutes and bigger roles early in the year.
Goalkeeper Kassidy Hipsher who took over the reins following the graduation of Bailey White as a freshman last season will be relied upon to keep the Lady Cats slate clean against a bevy of high caliber offenses Kalida will see early on.
Returning letter winners Kenzie Fortman, Livia Recker, Kendal Bockrath, Allie Stechschulte, Jordyn Vandemark, Camryn Recker, Kassidy Hipsher, and Audra Hovest are joined by promising newcomers Maddie Webken, Hannah Basinger, Carly Webken, and Katherine Bendele as part of a group that will look to improve on their 2-2-1 conference mark from a year ago that ended in a third place league finish.
“The PCL is always a very competitive league. One must come ready to play for all league games as we are all friendly rivals. We expect to be playing better as the season progresses and playing our best soccer come tournament time” said Kehres on the outlook for 2021 of the Putnam County League.
Kalida opens the season on Saturday, August 21st at 2:00 P.M. as they host the Archbold Blue Streaks in a non-league affair.
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