SEC Outlook: Soccer

High school season is officially here in Southeast Iowa. The area’s squads are settled into preseason practice and scrimmage games are already taking place.

Pretty soon, the Southeast Conference race will begin, and if it is anything like the last few years, fans are in for a wild ride.

On the girls’ side, it is Mt. Pleasant that will be defending a conference championship. The Panthers have won three SEC titles in a row in girls soccer, a streak interrupted by the COVID cancellation of 2020. Mt. Pleasant went 9-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play last season.

The Panther girls won their first eight games of the season last year, including back-to-back 3-2 overtime wins over Fort Madison and Washington. The Demons got the Panthers the second time around, beating Mt. Pleasant 4-3 in overtime to hand them their only SEC loss.

Washington finished 4-4 in conference play, good enough for third place. Burlington’s 5-3 record put the Grayhounds in second. Fort Madison took fourth.

Fairfield finished fifth in the standings, at 1-7. The Trojans sneaked past Fort Madison 2-1 in mid-April for their only SEC win. Keokuk did not field a girls soccer team last year due to low numbers.

A pair of seniors, Claire Pothitakis of Fort Madison and Trina Griffin of Washington, finished first and second in goals last year. Pothitakis scored 30, and Griffin had 27. Mt. Pleasant’s Andrea Lopreato put in 26 in her sophomore year, but she has switched to track this spring, meaning the Top-3 scorers from last season are all gone.

The leading returning goal-scorer will be Washington’s Greta Rothe, who put in 16 goals in her junior campaign.

A pair of seniors also led the league in assists last year. Burlington’s Gabrielle McDowell and Fort Madison’s Brandy Walker are both graduated after dishing out 11 and nine helpers respectively. Mt. Pleasant’s Elly Manning finished with eight assists in her sophomore year, and will be the leading returner in the conference.

On the boys’ side, teams will be looking for revenge over Fort Madison, a squad that went 10-0 in the SEC last season.

The Bloodhounds strung together 10 wins in a row after losing their opener last year, and went all the way to the Class 2A Substate 5 championship before bowing out of the postseason.

Fort Madison grinded through a pair of wins over Washington, beating the Demons 4-2 and 10-3. They upended Fairfield 2-1 and 3-1. Those were the only teams to give them much of a fight in conference play.

Fairfield and Washington split their two contests last season. Washington won 2-1 in Fairfield, but the Trojans earned revenge via a 4-1 victory in Washington.

Mt. Pleasant finished 2-8 in the SEC for fifth place. The Panthers were two games behind Burlington (4-6) and two above Keokuk (0-10).

The Panther boys had two wins over Keokuk. Mt. Pleasant won 1-0 at home and 6-0 on the road in the two meetings between the two.

Fort Madison will be heavy favorites in 2022. The Bloodhounds had the three top goal-scorers in the SEC last season, and they’re all expected back. Senior Mitchell Pothitakis will be coming off a 33-goal junior season. Juniors Jacob Pothitakis and Xander Wellman scored 29 apiece.

The Bloodhounds boys dominated the league in assists last year as well. Mitchell Pothitakis dished out 39. Wellman finished with 23, and Jacob Pothitakis had 21. Another current senior, Will Gager, added 12 for the Bloodhounds, giving them the Top-4 spots.

2021 SEC GIRLS SOCCER STANDINGS

1. Mt. Pleasant 7-1

2. Burlington 5-3

3. Washington 4-4

4. Fort Madison 3-5

5. Fairfield 1-7

6. Keokuk (no team)

2021 SEC BOYS SOCCER STANDINGS

1. Fort Madison 10-0

T-2. Fairfield 7-3

T-2. Fairfield 7-3

4. Burlington 4-6

5. Mt. Pleasant 2-8

6. Keokuk 0-10