Girls soccer in Boise is a national power. The top teams and players to watch this fall.
The Treasure Valley cranks out Division I girls soccer prospects year after year, including eight last season. But the area raised its profile even further this summer with the U-15 Boise Thorns’ run to the national club tournament semifinals.
Those players fan out to high schools throughout the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conferences in the fall. Those two leagues have ruled Idaho for years, and they’ll only get stronger with an injection of talent.
So who can dethrone defending 5A state champ Rocky Mountain? And who poses a threat to Bishop Kelly’s 65-game winning streak in 4A?
We broke down the top players and teams who will factor into this fall’s championship race below.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kelsey Oyler, Rocky Mountain
The junior attacking midfielder and Gonzaga commit poured in 18 goals a year ago, tied for the most in the 5A SIC. She also set up eight goals as a first-team all-state playmaker who’s just as capable of finding her own shot as she is setting up teammates.
Ava Ranson, Timberline
The senior’s future is on the basketball court, where she’s committed to Montana State, earned first-team All-Idaho honors and led the 5A SIC in scoring (18.3 ppg) last winter. But the reigning first-team all-state forward in soccer will try to add another scoring title at the head of Timberline’s attack after ranking third with 17 goals a year ago.
Payton Baratcart, Boise
The Boise State commit enters her fourth season in Boise’s starting lineup. The senior midfielder led Boise in scoring each of the past two years, racking up 16 goals and eight assists a year ago. She’s a strong bet to extend that streak to three years.
Kendra McDaniel, Boise
The Oregon State commit and junior midfielder directs traffic in the potent and deep Brave attack. She tallied 12 assists last fall, tied for the league lead. And she knows how to find the back of the net herself, racking up 10 goals.
Jade Maldonado, Centennial
A knee injury sidelined the Idaho State recruit last season. But if she can regain the form that led her to score 12 goals and add 10 assists as a freshman on Centennial’s 2017 state championship team, she’ll make the Patriots a contender again.
Kasey Wardle, Rocky Mountain
The Utah commit and goalkeeper split first-team all-state and all-conference honors with Boise’s Bre Norris. The two juniors will continue to battle it out for the role of the state’s top shot stopper for the next two years.
Logan Smith, Boise
A U-16 U.S. Skiing cross country national champ, the sophomore broke out as a freshman bombing up and down Boise’s wings, scoring five goals with six assists. Her elite speed and conditioning will continue to wear down outside backs and poke holes in defenses.
Ali Chatterton, Bishop Kelly
The junior center back has verbally committed to Boise State, where her older sister Aubree Chatterton is a junior forward. She led a Knights defense that surrendered 14 goals in 22 games, and she’s also a threat to push forward after scoring four herself.
Sydney Cromwell, Bishop Kelly
A first-team all-state selection as a sophomore, the senior forward will head Bishop Kelly’s attack with fellow striker Lauren Elwer graduated. Cromwell poured in 17 goals and 19 assists a year ago, numbers that are sure to go up.
5A SIC BREAKDOWN
THE FAVORITES: Boise and Rocky Mountain battled for top billing all of last fall. Boise took the SIC conference and district titles. But Rocky Mountain scored the state championship victory, edging the Brave in penalty kicks.
Boise narrowly came out on top of the preseason conference coaches’ poll as it returns all of its attacking players after pouring in 70 goals a year ago. Boise fields four Division I commits in Baratcart (Boise State), McDaniel (Oregon State), Norris (Portland) and Mariah Albin (Boise State), and Brave coach Chris Siegenthaler said he could have more before the season ends. He’ll have to find an entire new backline, but he has plenty of talent to work with.
Rocky Mountain has more holes to fill after losing its entire defense as well as forward Jordyn Dalling. But the midfield returns with Oyler to lead the way, and Wardle can make up for a lot of mistakes as a new defense finds its feet.
THE CONTENDERS: Eagle enters the year needing to replace the league’s leading scorer in Olivia Smith, now at BYU. But the Mustangs have another potent goal scorer to build their attack around in junior Sophie Down, a Boise State commit. She’ll have two three-year varsity players (Kearney Hoggan and Elle Cox) alongside her in the midfield to provide support.
Mountain View missed state after three consecutive trips but returns nine starters from a lineup that only surrendered 13 goals, the second fewest in the league. The midfield remains loaded to feed junior Brooke Snyder and senior Olivia Vance — last year’s leading scorer with seven goals — up top.
THE DARK HORSES: Timberline returns six starters from last season’s state qualifier, including an explosive forward in Ranson. The Wolves also add four players from the Thorns’ U-15 club that became the first Idaho team to win its group at the U.S. Youth Soccer national tournament before falling in the semifinals.
After back-to-back state tournament trips, graduation hit Borah hard with Kylee Geis and Payton McBride entering their freshman years at Utah. But senior forward Eden Makaafi (seven goals) and senior midfielder Lily Transtrum still give the Lions two weapons to build around.
4A SIC BREAKDOWN
THE FAVORITE: The target remains squarely on Bishop Kelly’s back as it entered the season on a 64-game winning streak (now up to 65) and as the three-time defending state champ. Two-time 4A player of the year Lauren Elwer graduated, taking 47 goals with her to Gonzaga. That blows a big hole in the Knights’ lineup, but Cromwell, Alexis Pond (14 goals, seven assists) and Mia Cartwright (14 goals, four assists) still give BK plenty of firepower to aim for a fourth straight championship.
THE CONTENDERS: Kuna, the only SIC team to come within two goals of Bishop Kelly, remains the top threat with 10 returning starters. That group includes Lexi Hawks (18 goals, nine assists), Emily Hardin (16 goals) and Natasja Davis (14 goals, six assists), another U-15 Thorn. With another year of experience under their belt, they remain the top threat to Bishop Kelly’s dominance.
THE DARK HORSES: After starting six freshmen two years ago, Columbia returns nine starters and is ready to make some noise. Junior midfielder Peyton Dion, a returning first-team all-conference pick with 21 goals last year, headlines the group.
Defending state consolation champ Middleton has to rebuild its roster on the fly after graduating seven starters. But senior Emalie Wood (14 goals, 13 assists) and junior Addi Wyatt (nine goals) give the Vikings two options to find the back of the net.
Vallivue enters a youth movement after back-to-back state appearances and 11 seniors graduated, including Elizabeth Gonzalez (28 goals, 15 assists). With just three starters back, Briana Woods moves from the backline to forward and a wave of freshmen and sophomores led by midfielder Lizbeth Soto takes over the program.
This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 6:01 PM.
