Central Indiana sleeper teams to watch in 2024

The Indiana high school girls soccer season has officially begun, which means it’s time to land the plane with our final piece of preseason content: teams that aren’t yet known to follow. Here are a dozen teams that fell outside of my preseason Fab 15 but could make waves this season.

Avon (8-7-2, 3A)

Brownsburg and Plainfield remain the favorites in the 3A Sectional 10, but don’t forget that Avon could shake things up in its first season under Jude Johannson. Looking for its first sectional title since 2019, the Orioles return their starting goalie (Ava Faust, 1,254 goals against average) and most of their defense, led by Madison Haggard and Aderinoye Adewopo, and will add freshman Hadleigh Staton. Also of note, Ella Hastings had 14 goals and five assists in her debut season.

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Bethesda Christian (12-4-1, second place in the regional Class A)

The Patriots have come a long way in their first two seasons as a program, going from 5-10-1 in 2022 to 12 wins and a regional finalist in 2023. One impressive feat from last season: Emory Smith was limited to 11 games with limited minutes due to injury — and she still scored 22 goals. She has the potential to challenge both the single-season (36) and career (50) records, and will have a more experienced supporting cast than last season with nine returning starters. The midfield core is particularly strong with Laylah Calhoon, Hana Henry, Avery Gibbs and Eden Swan, while sophomores Maylin Heathco and Ruth Gomora will anchor the defense after starting as freshmen.

Park Tudor moving up to 2A opens up the Class A playoff picture a bit, but the sectional shuffle resulted in Bethesda Christian joining a group with Heritage Christian. Tough one to beat.

Danville (11-5-2, 2A)

The Warriors lost to rival Tri-West on penalty kicks twice last season. They are expected to return most of their lineup — including leading scorer Malina Ane, who had 22 goals and six assists as a sophomore — and start fresh in a new section. They should be the favorite in that section (West Vigo looks like a formidable opponent), especially if Wynsleigh Dorsey and Sylvie French continue to develop. They combined for 15 goals as freshmen and sophomores, respectively.

Fishermen (4-10-3)

The schedule and the sectional are brutal, but I’m betting the Tigers will finish as one of (if not the) most improved teams in the region. Junior forward Elise May, an all-state pick as a freshman, returns after a year at the academy (she scored twice against McCutcheon on Saturday), and Georgia Scott transfers after scoring a team-high 10 goals for North Central. They join a lineup that should be deeper and healthier than last season. Defenders Aubrey Ellinger and Mallory Slabaugh and midfielder Lauren Faulkner are among coach Harold Spooner’s most notable returnees.

Heritage Christian (10-8, Class A)

They’ve stacked their schedule so much that the regular-season numbers might not be super flashy, but the Eagles have a highly experienced and high-powered offense led by Kya Crooke, Winthrop commit Zaria Winston and Lauryn Dolvin. That trio alone accounted for 40 goals and 21 assists last season, and they’re bolstered by Casey Frost (eight goals), Anya Riggle (five goals, nine assists), Emma Gast (seven assists) and Joslyn Marshall (five assists). Alanna Jordan, a junior, anchors the back line.

Park Tudor moving up to 2A is great news for Heritage Christian, which lost to the eventual state sectional champions in two consecutive seasons (both by one goal). The Eagles opened the 2024 season with a 2-1 win over 3A-based Roncalli.

Revers (15-3, class A)

The Bulldogs graduated their top two scorers, both goalies, and a key defender. But Lapel has a cornerstone in sophomore midfielder/forward Leila Wilson, and has quality experience to back her up in defenders Paige Stires and Ava Everman, and midfielder Sophie Goodwin. Coach Chad Soden will be working through a few underclassmen this season, but the section should be fairly even after No. 14 Tipton.

Lawrence North (11-5-2, 3A)

The sectional stinks, but the Wildcats should be contending for both the MIC and Marion County titles this season. Record-setting forwards Kari Radford, Julia Turow, Lydia Korzekwa and Reagan Wuethrich are all third-year starters, and Arionne Perkins, TaLaya Broaders and Justys Glenn all bring experience from the varsity team as well. The program is trending in the right direction, having expanded its schedule with the additions of Brownsburg, Zionsville, Homestead and Mt. Vernon.

Monrovia (15-3-1, Section 2A champion)

This year’s Bulldogs group has the potential to go down as the program’s best. Dayton commit Emery Newlin and Baldwin Wallace commit Chelsea Wallace are coming off record-breaking junior campaigns, while all-conference pick Ann Standeford returns after missing last season due to injury. The list of returning players also includes forward Nellie Standeford and goalie Joslin Harvey.

Note: Monrovia is moving to Class A this season.

New Palestine (10-7-1, 3A)

The Dragons are replacing two key players on their defensive line, losing sophomore forward Hannah Sund to a torn ACL, but the rest of their lineup returns, with most of their starters having played since they were freshmen. That group is led by IWU midfielder Tylar Whitaker (14 goals, six assists), Huntington defender Abby Lambdin (playing 80 minutes per game), senior midfielder Rylee Hurst (four goals, four assists) and senior midfielder Nevaeh Gebhart (six goals, five assists). Freshman midfielder Hailey Pardieck and Greenfield-Central transfer goalkeeper Ady Eakin are also expected to contribute this season.

Sheridan (13-6-1, second in the regional class A)

There’s a lot to like about the Blackhawks, who return starters from the first sectional championship team in program history. Sadie Timme and Brielle Garner both enjoyed breakout freshman campaigns; Cecilia Timme, Mac Smith and Makaley Terry bring multiple years of varsity experience; and Makenzy Terry (looking to break the career shutout record), Ji Warren, Lucy Hester and Molley Pottorff are all established contributors.

Sheridan may experience some initial teething problems as he gets used to playing without defender Emma Alexander.

Tri-West (11-7-2, 2A section champion)

This fall had the makings of a rebuilding year for the Bruins (seven starters graduated), but offseason workouts and friendlies have raised expectations. Genevieve Tooley and Jordan Peters lead a solid freshman class, while seniors Adi Melton (midfielder), Emma Reed (defender) and Savannah Spencer (defender) lead the returners. Coach Dustin Malicoat has been impressed with his team’s ball movement and balance in the lineup this summer.

Lack of experience and a busy schedule (Avon, Plainfield, Chatard, Danville) may lead to a tough record at the start of the section, but don’t doubt this team’s potential to break through.

Whiteland (11-5, 3A)

The Warriors have their most wins since 2017 and won just their second sectional tournament game since at least 2012-13. They’re still young and without Johnson County Player of the Year Emma Gill this fall, but they do have nine returning starters, including seniors Alexa Laporte (seven goals, seven assists) and Addison Emberton. Madison Fluery (seven goals) and Bethany Floyd also return for Whiteland, which opened the season with a rout of Triton Central.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.