Big expectations for MP soccer

Now is the time for Mt. Pleasant soccer. Both the boys' and girls' teams will enter the spring season with high hopes after both teams went ended 2018 one game away from the state tournament.

The boys' team went 12-7 last season, placing second in the Southeast Conference and earning a shot at Marion in the district final. Mt. Pleasant defeated SEC rival Washington 4-0 to get to that game, but a short-handed Panther bunch lost 4-0 against the eventual state tournament runner-ups.

Mt. Pleasant will bring back two of its top three scorers from last season. Jayden Vongsavath had 10 goals and 11 assists last season and Cade Warner finished with five goals and nine assists. MP will also bring back Noel Lopez, Carlos Figueroa-Garcia and Ovidio Reyes-Cardona, key midfielders from last season, as well as defensive standouts Ethan Oilar and Quenton Sims.

If that's not enough to get fans excited, MP brings back one of the top goaltenders in Southeast Iowa. Keeper Nathan Rauenbuehler finished last season with 68 saves for a .810 save percentage.

The Panther girls' team went 12-6 last season, earning a conference championship in the process. Mt. Pleasant knocked off rival Fairfield 2-0 en route to a trip to the regional final in Pella. The Panthers fell 7-0 to the Dutch, who eventually went to the state semifinals.

Mt. Pleasant didn't have one senior on the roster in 2018, and they'll bring the vast majority of their players back this season. That includes Mary West, who scored 18 of Mt. Pleasant's 39 goals last season and also dished out three assists.

Kaela Welcher and Kalyssa Longhurst scored five goals each last season. Welcher also led the team with four assists. Other returning goalscorers are Sydney Doak, Amber Fiedler, Ryann Davidson and Kendin Scheitlin.

The Panthers were so youthful in 2018, that 12 of the 16 players in the regional final were freshmen and sophomores, meaning Mt. Pleasant will be a much more experienced group this season. One of those sophomores was goalkeeper Ayden Ross, who had 93 saves on the year and had a .782 percent save percentage.

The Mt. Pleasant boys will open their season on Saturday, March 30, in a tournament at Ft. Madison. Both teams will be at Columbus on Monday, April 1, for a doubleheader.