By Steve Carpenter
Blue Dragon Sports Information Director
August 19, 2021

The Hutchinson Community College women's soccer team opens its 17th season on Friday as the Blue Dragons are on the road at Western Wyoming Community College.

The Blue Dragons and Mustangs will play a pair of games against each either to open the season, Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. – both times are central daylight time – at Rock Springs Junior High School in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

The Blue Dragons come off a 2020-21 season of 7-4-3 and a spot in the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament where a 1-0 loss to Butler ended their season. Western Wyoming was the Region IX Tournament runner-up – the Mustangs lost 1-0 to Laramie County in its regional championship game – and finished 8-5-2 last season.

Both teams bring an abundance of returning players back for the 2021 season.

Blue Dragon head coach Sammy Lane – he's the only head coach in Blue Dragon women's soccer history and has produced a record of 222-57-8 in the first 16 seasons – has nine players returning from last season. Western Wyoming returns 10 players from last season.

While the Blue Dragons have never suffered a losing season in its history – a record of 10-9 in their inaugural season of 2005 was the closest call to that streak being snapped – Lane is looking for his program to make consistent, deep postseason runs once again.

From 2006 through 2016, the Blue Dragons won five conference titles, won 11 of 11 Region VI Tournament opening-round matches, appeared in five Region VI championship matches and won three regional titles, which included one District B championship match appearance and the program's only No. 1 national ranking in 2012.

Since then, the regular-season victories were still abundant, but the Blue Dragons haven't won a league championship and last season's Region VI semifinal appearance was the first since 2016.

One major upgrade Lane wishes to make in the new season is a consistent finish on the offensive end of the field.

The 2020-21 Blue Dragons – remember, the 2020 fall season was pushed to the spring of 2021 because of Covid-19 – averaged only 2.50 goals per game last season, the lowest season scoring average in program history. That low total wasn't because the Blue Dragons weren't creating scoring opportunities, but because they simply didn't consistently finish around the goal.

The Blue Dragons will have to replace 2020-21 Jayhawk West MVP Esther Karhayu, but Lane thinks his returning players and influx of new forwards, can jump-start the offense this season.

Returning are forwards Lani Dickinson (Swindon, England) and Chiara Stuenkel (Munich, Germany). Dickinson is the leading returning scorer from last season after six goals and two assists last spring. Stuenkel had four goals and an assist last season. Also back are forwards Madison Ontjes (Nickerson) and D'Naeya Gray (Buhler).

In-state freshman Hadlie Lowe (Wichita/Kapaun Mt. Carmel) is expected to energize the offense this season after an all-state high school career. She scored 18 goals in her senior season at Kapaun-Mt. Carmel.

The Blue Dragons return plenty of experience in the midfield with Aimee Maher (Greystone, Ireland) and Jordan Crone (Derby) returning. Maher scored six goals, including a perfect 3 of 3 on penalty kicks last season. Crone had a goal and two assists in season No. 1, but was strong in clogging up the midfield for the opposition. Bailey Clark (Wichita) also returns with eight games under her belt from the spring season.

Lane is hoping that freshmen out-of-staters Julia Dias De Souza (Novo Hamburgo, Brazil) and transfer Danica Lotter (Johannesburg, South Africa/Mississippi Gulf Coast) will become key players in the midfield rotation.

Three starters return on the back line for the Blue Dragons, including all-conference performers in Zara Lawless (Dublin, Ireland) and Ella-Mae Miller (Devon, England). Also back is Katie Taylor (Salina).

The Blue Dragons will new players in goal with in-state freshmen Olivia Felix-Cardona (Wichita North) and Madison Quarles (Olathe West). Aspen Apfel (Nickerson) returns with two games experience last season. Kambrian Colborn (Stillwater, Oklahoma) is also back, but returns to her natural position as a defender this season. Colborn stepped in as a goalkeeper in the 2020-21 season.

After their two games in Wyoming, the Blue Dragons will be off until September 1 when they open Jayhawk Conference play at Barton. Hutchinson plays its first home match at the Salthawk Sports Complex on Saturday, September 4 against Johnson County.

This weekend's games with Western Wyoming will be the first time the Blue Dragons and Mustangs have met in any sport.