Girls soccer 2025: Top Lexington teams, best players and biggest games this year
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lexington Catholic starts 2025 season with title hopes tempered by injuries.
- Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay and Lafayette aim to close LexCath's gap.
- New coaches at Dunbar and Tates Creek inject fresh leadership for rebuilds.
Lexington Catholic recaptured its place atop 11th Region girls high school soccer last season, avenging its title game loss to Madison Central from the year before and making a run to the state finals.
But offseason injuries have hit the Knights hard this preseason, perhaps endangering LexCath’s ability to make another go.
Coach Terry Quigley’s bunch has missed out on a region title only twice in the last decade.
Elsewhere in the city’s 43rd District, two new coaches look to build their programs back into contenders.
Jeff Stone, a longtime Paul Laurence Dunbar boys assistant coach, takes over a girls program that was the last city team other than LexCath to win a region crown.
Across town, Rod Calderon, originally hired to take over Tates Creek’s junior varsity program, advanced to the varsity top job last month after Mebit Aragaw’s resignation for personal reasons. Creek is on its fourth coach since its 2019 43rd District title team.
Monday, the season begins and LexCath’s chasers, including Lafayette, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay and more, renew the hunt.
2025 Lexington girls soccer at a glance
A closer look at Lexington’s girls soccer teams, ordered by their approximate finish last season. Player honors and stats are from 2024, with quotes directly from the coaches.
Coach: Terry Quigley (34rd season).
Last season: State runner-up after 3-1 loss to Sacred Heart. 43rd District and 11th Region champion.
Standing out: Senior keeper Kate Jacobs, who plays club for Racing Louisville, was recently named Kentucky Youth Soccer Association female athlete of the year. Senior forward Joanna Bryant (12 goals, 7 assists) “is a Division I player with speed and all the skills”; Harper Ward had some sensational moments as a freshman last year; Lily Knopp “has great speed and is a very intelligent defender.”
Coach says: “This season has more unknowns than most. … There will be new players who need to step up. To be honest, I am always optimistic whether it’s justified or not.”
Notes: Five starters from last season suffered knee injuries that have them on the shelf, although Bella Bretz, a senior keeper who started or finished every game last year as part of a rotation, could rejoin the lineup at some point.
Schedule highlights: Aug. 11 at Assumption; Aug. 20 vs. Lexington Christian; Aug. 25 vs. Henry Clay; Sept. 3 vs. Lafayette; Sept. 8-13, LexCath Challenge Cup; Sept. 15 vs. West Jessamine; Sept. 17 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 22 vs. Highlands; Oct. 1 at Elizabethtown.
Coach: Taylor Roden (10th season).
Last season: 9-11-1. 43rd District runner-up.
Standing out: Senior Kitty Crovo, second-team all-city and the top returning scorer, “has the ability to take over a game at any time”; sister Chloe Crovo, is a “creative, dynamic” junior midfielder; Samantha Lynn, another junior, is “calm, cool, collected with a high soccer IQ”; senior keeper Claire Studdard “has come into preseason training with a ton of confidence.”
Coach says: “We’ve got a young, talented, and technical team. I love the work ethic and energy I’ve seen so far during preseason. Anything is possible with a group who is willing to put in the effort, play as a team, and be coachable.”
Notes: Though last year marked Roden’s first losing season since 2017, the Generals proved talented enough to reach the region semifinals. Five starters return.
Schedule highlights: Aug. 16 vs. Campbell County; Aug. 27 at George Rogers Clark; Sept. 3 at Lexington Catholic; Sept. 10 vs. Henry Clay; Sept. 15 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 27 at Woodford County; Oct. 1 at Frederick Douglass.
Coach: Megan Adkins (ninth season).
Last season: 18-4-1. 42nd District champions.
Standing out: Senior midfielder Ella Flynn (15 goals) earned second-team all-city honors; fellow senior Anna Adkins will look to get more involved in the offense; Addie O’Ferral, a junior, will lead the back line; a “breakout year” is the hope for junior midfielder Riley Kate Porter.
Coach says: “We have a big task in front of us as we graduated 90% of our offense and our starting center back and goalkeeper. We will need to see how the young players respond and fill some big shoes. It will take some time to gel and find our identity this year.”
Notes: Six starters return. Maliya Crump, who started in goal as a freshman for the Broncos’ first varsity team in 2017, has joined the coaching staff.
Schedule highlights: Aug. 11 vs. George Rogers Clark; Aug. 18 at Bryan Station; Aug. 20 vs. Woodford County; Aug. 27 at Bethlehem; Sept. 6 vs. Madison Central; Sept. 17 at Henry Clay; Sept. 20 vs. North Laurel; Oct. 1 vs. Lafayette.
Coach: Haydon Warren (fourth season).
Last season: 9-7-3. 42nd District runner-up.
Standing out: Forward Gia Mannella (7 goals) earned second-team all-city honors as a freshman; junior center back Adrienne Reed “is a tall, physical presence in the air”; senior winger Molly Spalding “turns defensive work immediately into an attack.”
Coach says: “We will be competitive in our district, region, and, hopefully, state.”
Notes: Nine starters return. The Blue Devils have their largest senior class since 2014 with 11 on the roster. Last season, Henry Clay snapped Lexington Catholic’s 36-game win streak over city rivals with a 1-1 tie last Aug. 28.
Schedule highlights: Aug. 11 vs. Dixie Heights; Aug. 25 at Lexington Catholic; Sept. 3 vs. Bryan Station; Sept. 6 at Assumption; Sept. 10 at Lafayette; Sept. 17 vs. Frederick Douglass; Sept. 20 at West Jessamine; Sept. 22 at Sayre.
Coach: Michael McKinney (11th season).
Last season: 13-6-1.
Standing out: Senior goalkeeper Lucie Pitman ”sets the tone for our team both on and off the field”; midfielder Hadley Luring scored seven goals with nine assists as a sophomore; fellow junior midfielder Ella Jurgenson “is one of the most athletic and skilled players that we’ve had at Sayre.”
Coach says: “We are playing a tougher schedule this year to be better prepared for postseason play. We hope to have another strong run to All ‘A’ state.”
Notes: Sayre has won back-to-ball All “A” Classic region titles. The Spartans graduated the 11th Region’s all-time goal scorer, Katherine Monohan, whose 205 scores in four seasons rank third in KHSAA history.
Schedule highlights: Sept. 8 at Bryan Station; Sept. 10 at Frederick Douglass; Sept. 17 vs. Scott County; Sept. 20 vs. Lafayette; Sept. 22 vs. Henry Clay.
Coach: Jeff Stone (first season).
Last season: 8-7-2.
Standing out: Junior midfielder Kennedy Morgan is “a very special player who will be asked to lead this team”; two-sport standout Layla Flynn, a junior who led the basketball team in scoring last season, “is fearless and just loves to compete”; sophomore Lilly Taylor “is a great defender and also has very good field vision.”
Coach says: “We are still fairly young with only two seniors this year. We hope to be the best version of ourselves when we get to late September-early October.”
Notes: Six starters return. Stone served as a Todd Bretz assistant for years at Dunbar, Sayre and Lexington Catholic before taking his first head coaching job this season on the girls side.
Schedule highlights: Aug. 13 vs. Frederick Douglass; Aug. 18 at Lexington Christian; Aug. 27 vs. Tates Creek; Sept. 9 vs. Simon Kenton (at Lexington Catholic); Sept. 15 at Lafayette; Sept. 17 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept. 29 vs. Henry Clay.
Coach: Evan Duszynski (third season).
Last season: 9-8-3.
Standing out: Liberty commit Jentry Bertram is “the heart of our team who can do it all,” including earning first-team all-city soccer and honorable mention all-city basketball honors. Elizabeth Landfield (12 goals) has led LCA in scoring each of the last two years. Payton Buckler “is crafty and does her best work on the wing creating scoring opportunities for her teammates.” All are seniors.
Coach says: “We have a large and special group of rising freshmen on the team this year. The coaching staff is excited to get them plugged in to the squad and see what they can do.”
Notes: Six starters return. LCA is looking for its first district finals and region tournament berth since it made it all the way to the state championship game in 2010.
Schedule highlights: Aug. 11 vs. West Jessamine (at Woodford County); Aug. 13 at Woodford County; Aug. 18 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept 8 vs. Frederick Douglass; Sept. 15 vs. Tates Creek; Sept. 17 at Lafayette.
Coach: Rod Calderon (first season).
Last season: 6-7-1.
Standing out: Juniors Kaleigh Potts and Ella Craig led the team in scoring with nine and eight goals, respectively. Potts, who ranked second on the basketball team with 12 points per game, had a team-high nine assists on the pitch, helping her earn second-team all-city honors.
Coach says: “I came into this thinking my job was to motivate them. But it’s actually their dedication and desire to be a true team that inspires me. They challenge me to show up with new ideas, and that’s the kind of energy every coach dreams of.”
Notes: The Commodores have a short roster of 13 players that includes three seniors. Calderon had only a few days on the job before filling out our preseason survey. He shied from highlighting individual players, explaining: “The truth is that every player on this team brings something essential to the field.”
Schedule highlights: Aug. 20 vs. Bryan Station; Aug. 27 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 15 at Lexington Christian; Sept. 24 vs. Lafayette; Sept. 29 at Sayre.
Coach: Stephanie Durbin (fourth season).
Last season: 5-9-1.
Standing out: Heavan Dobson, who earned first-team all-city honors, “is able to play anywhere on the field. … Her ability to create an attack and defend, makes her a force to be reckoned with.” Senior Fabianna Herrera (6 goals, 5 assists) led the team in scoring and has started since freshman year. Juniors Adrienn Arcure (softball) and Kennedy Feltner-Happy (basketball) earned starting spots despite soccer not being their first sport.
Coach says: “The team is looking to get that first district win since 2017. We want to play as a team and rebuild together.”
Notes: Five starters return. The Defenders’ wins last season marked their most victories since 2017, which included two winless seasons before Durbin’s arrival in 2022.
Schedule highlights: Aug. 11 vs. Western Hills; Aug. 18 vs. Frederick Douglass; Aug. 25 at Scott County; Sept. 3 at Henry Clay; Sept. 8 vs. Sayre.
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
