Duchesne High School Seniors Will Lead Soccer Team

Duchesne High School

Team Name: Pioneers

2010 Record: 11-11 (third place Gateway Athletic Conference North)

Head Coach: David Thurmer

Key Positions: 

• Goalkeeper: Allie Wilcox, sophomore, is coming off a season in which she was first team all-conference.
• Defenders: Senior Stephanie Mullen anchors this defense that doesn't employ a sweeper.
• Scorers: Senior midfielders/wingbacks Amber and Ashley Riley will help provide much needed leadership and scoring.

Expectations: "My expectations for this year's team are the same as always--to put the most competitive team that we can on the field and compete for conference, district, and state championships," said Thurmer. 

Key Games: As always, Gateway Athletic Conference North Conference competitors St. Charles High School and St. Charles West School are huge rivals, and St. Dominic High school is a perennial tough game, one that ended the team's season last year.

St. Dominic: 6:15 p.m. March 25 (away)

St. Charles West: 4 p.m. March 28 (away)

St. Charles: 6 p.m. May 5 (away)

Overview:

Coming off what coach David Thurmer called an "average season" in which the Pioneers finished .500, the team has a lot to look forward to. It has a lot of senior leadership and didn't lose too many players to graduation from last year's team, Thurmer said.

"Sarah Skaggs, Amber and Ashley Riley, Stephanie Mullen, and Amanda Hubble are seniors that will be playing their third year of varsity soccer," he said.

Also, they will be relying on sophomore goalkeeper Alli Wilcox, who is coming off a stellar freshman year and hopes to repeat her performance this season.

There's also a new addition to the coaching staff, Jenny Elmendorf. Elmendorf is a Duchesne alumna as well as a former collegiate player and will bring a great soccer mind to the team, Thurmer said. 

The team's first game is at 6:15 p.m. March 25 at St. Dominic.