Better known as the “Lady Cats”, the Westminster Girls soccer team boast a 12-4 regular season record in the 2024 spring season. The girls were dominant on the pitch, in the regular season, they only allowed at most 2 goals. It was clear that between the elite defense on top of having Senior goalie, Emma Ballew, the cats were a force to be reckoned with. With only 4 losses to them, the Lady Cats earned themselves the first seed in the Class 2 District 2 tournament.
Steamrolling through the first game in the district tournament, the Cats matched up against Duschene. The Cats had the advantage and were the favorites to win but did not bring their “A” game when it mattered. The Cats season ended in a 2-3 loss.
With the calendar turning over, a new season for the cats is upon us. The Cats are losing a few key players from last year’s roster. Forward Lydia Bailey, goalie Emma Ballew, Defense Emma Bertel are three key starters that we have lost.
Emma Bertel, 2024 graduate and Senior Captain was as solid as one can be in the backfield on defense. “Some defense was good but Emma was a dawg in the backfield” said Senior Kelsey Muschick
Bertel was one of the main reasons Westminster held such low scores against opponents.
In the goal, 2024 graduate, senior Emma Ballew was dominant as well. With 939 minutes played, she scored 7 wins, 66 saves and a 63.6% save. The cat’s defense was an elite factor to their success paired with a solid keeper was a major success factor.
Moving to the offensive side of the ball, the Cats are led by 3 strong girls. Leading goal scorer and 3x All State player, 2026 junior Alyssa Edwards is the bread and butter of the Cat’s offense, finishing the 2024 season with 12 goals. Along with leading the team in goals, she also led in every other offensive stat including 13 assists and 37 points. “It’s just another year, I hold myself to high expectations and with the training I have done this year, anticipate to do even better than my previous years.” Said Edward’s
Upcoming Senior Captain Abbie Moser is another key scorer for the Wildcats. Moser finished her previous season with 11 goals, 7 assists and 23 points placing second in the leaderboard for team stats. Lastly, Sophomore Anna Ramsey is the 3rd piece to the cats aggressive offense. Ramsey finished her first year, starting almost every game scoring 10 goals, 3 assists and 20 points. We as 800 Sporting are expecting Anna to continue her dominance on the pitch and for her to put up even better numbers
“My goal as a captain is to create a healthy environment where we can be both competitive and cohesive with each other. We want to grow on and off the field” said Ava Gibeaut, senior captain. Gibeaut referenced creating a culture of family and how that is her emphasis this year. She wants to leave the girls with more than soccer when all is said and done. On the flip side, Gibeaut said that one of their big goals and expectations is to win a District Championship this season. After receiving the first seed in last year’s tournament, this is the bar to reach.
“Expectations are still high even with a different team.” said assistant coach Dan Legters, echoing what his players have preached
With some key players from last year gone, girls will need to step up and fill spots exceptionally well in order to reach their goals. All is within reason and possible for them. Practicing hard and maintaining good composure is a key for them throughout the season. The Lady Cats open their season March 13th at home for their Jamboree. Their first regular season game is March 28th at St. Francis Borgia at 6:30PM
Go Cats!
