Red Devils Off to Strong Start

St. Clairsville is seeing another strong start to the season from its girls’ soccer team.

The Red Devils are 3-0 entering tonight’s road contest against Steubenville Big Red at Harding Stadium.

Through three matches, St. C. has outscored its opponents 12-1. Offensively, a large number of players have found the back of the net.

The team’s back-line defenders have done the job of keeping goalkeeper Jaeda Nowak’s evenings relatively uneventful.

The start of the 2020 season mirrors that of the 2019 in a lot of ways. But there is one glaring absence—the team’s returning all-Ohio player in No. 27, senior Macy Malin.

Malin injured her knee during the preseason and is relegated to cheering her teammates on from the sidelines her senior season, crutches helping to prop her up.

“No one can lose a talent like that and not see a difference in their game,” St. Clairsville coach Wes Stoner said. “We all wish Macy could play, even our opponents. Not that they want to face her, but they wish she could still take the field.

“No one is wishing for that more than myself and her, obviously. But We have been coming along. So far, the defense has been great. We’ve given up one kind of flukey goal and Jaeda has been solid behind them.”

That’s another benefit to losing only one senior, Emily Vera, off last season’s team—two if you count Malin. Most of the starters returned and while there are a couple playing in different spots, the team is meshing well together early.

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Offensive Slack

This year’s team is seven seniors strong and the offensive production is as varied as it is efficient amongst them.

However, thus far, it’s junior Alyssa Bodkin that’s picked up the go-to score mantle vacated by Malin.

Through three games, Bodkin has five goals, including two in the recent 3-0 victory versus Harrison Central.

“We’ve had a few growing pains obviously, missed some opportunities, but we’re getting our identity down, meshing and getting everybody used to where they are playing,” Stoner said. It’s coming along.”

A couple big changes is moving sophomores Megan Malin and Gianna Nardo up from playing defense a season ago.

Both moves were likely to happen regardless of injuries, but doing so helps solidify the midfield when teaming them with senior mainstay MiKayla Hendershot. Hendershot is back to her usual self, tallying two goals and assisting on three others to lead the team.

“Even without injuries, we would have moved Megan up as we’ve switched from a back four to a back three,” Stoner said. “She can create and she’s really good and calm on the ball, like Macy. Nothing rattles her.

“Gianna as well. She prefers to play up higher, but we needed her on defense last year, but we were able to move her up this season and it’s been an easy transition for her.”

Nardo gives Stoner another capable scorer as well as a physical player willing to challenge for every ball.

Fellow senior Ariel Ott has one goal thus far, but that numbers is sure to grow as the season progresses as she was a top option last season.

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Injury Bug Returns

There are two other new faces in the starting lineup up front, albeit not at the same time. Junior Emily Thompson earned her position after playing well as a sophomore. She’s responded with one goal and two assists.

She too fell victim to the injury bug, however, and is currently on crutches. She will return this season, but when is still up in the air.

“We’re like the walking wounded,” said Stoner, half joking, half lamenting. “She sprained her ankle pretty bad against East Liverpool and is in an air cast and crutches.

“We don’t want to rush her back obviously with the OVAC tournament and districts in a few weeks. But she’s done excellent. She’s fast and really improved her shot since last year.

“But apparently at St. C. our motto is once we start improving, someone has to get injured.”

In her brief absence, freshman Delaney Florence has impressed. Standing 5-10, Florence plays both midfield and striker positions and saw significant time in the opener before earning a starting spot.

Fortunately, the defense is injury free.

Senior Kellen Weidman, along with returning starters sophomore Jocelyhnn Zucco and junior center-back Sierra Musser are anchoring that back line. With Malin and Nardo moving up, it’s come to Musser to step into the enforcer’s role on the defense.

“She’s aggressive, strong and a really good defender,” Stoner added.

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Strong Tests Await

Also, like last season, the Red Devils’ schedule progressively gets more difficult from front to back, starting tonight.

Big Red is coming off an impressive dismantling of Edison in which senior Mary Marshall tallied six goals and assisted on another. Marshall is far from Steubenville’s only scoring option.

Tough matchups with Beaver Local, River View, John Marshall, Wheeling Park and Oak Glen loom, along with the OVAC Cup tournament.

“Steubenville is always a good test for us,” Stoner said. “I know they lost their goalie from last year, but they are really talented and return several girls that can attack.

“It will be a good test.”

Stoner isn’t discounted the challenges faced against East Liverpool, Harrison Central and Philo in the opener. After all, the Electrics just played a dangerous River View team and kept it close at 4-2.

That’s two more goals than St. C. scored on the Black Bears last season at home in a spirited 1-0 loss.

But with the pandemic elimination scrimmage games, the gradual increase in difficulty to the schedule actually comes in handy.

“It’s nice to have that, especially with not being able to have scrimmages,” Stoner said. “It’s nice to be able to continuously increase your level of difficulty as you go along.

“Hopefully, it helps to have us peaking at the right time once the postseason starts.”