MaxPreps 2013 Soccer Early Contenders: Bishop O'Connell girls

Something that has gone on the past four years is guaranteed not to happen this season for the Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) girls soccer team.

Morgan Reuther will definitely not be the leading goal scorer.

The Knights are embarking upon another campaign with high hopes, but will be doing so without the dynamic player who led the team in goals in all four years she played at the Washington, D.C. area school. While that might make some coaches nervous about how to replace the numbers, Knights leader Alberto Starace has the luxury of many returning underclassmen who won't need time to acclimate. His hopes are that one (or a combination) of those girls steps into the role that Reuther held for so long before moving on to the University of Virginia.

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And leadership from the coaching staff most definitely won't be an issue, as Starace was named the Regional Coach of the Year last season by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. All that comes together to make Bishop O'Connell a national title Early Contender presented by adidas and Dick's Sporting Goods.

It's not one name that will lead this year's team to success. It's a slew of names. And that depth can only help in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, one of the nation's toughest.

Last season's second-place finish in the league (64-13 scoring margin) will be motivation to get back on top, a spot Bishop O'Connell is plenty used to. The Knights have made 20 trips to the WCAC title match in 28 years, winning 10 of them.

But none of those trips since 2006 have ended with a title.

It's strength in numbers this season for Bishop O'Connell, which has a program record of 438-72-48, and Starace has a large group of juniors that are hungry to leave their legacy at the school. Replacing Reuther and leading passer Kara DeGuisto won't come easy - but nothing really comes easy in the WCAC.

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Local look: "Bishop O’Connell just couldn’t find a way to stop Good Counsel senior Midge Purce. The Knights had several opportunities to even the score but could never get the ball past (Megan) Hinz. O'Connell's only two defeats this season were at the hands of the Falcons."
- Boris Tsalyuk, DCsportsfan.com, after last season's title match loss
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State classification: Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC)

Enrollment: 1,200

Athletic director: Joe Wootten

2012 finish: 14-2-2 (No. 25 NSCAA rankings)

Head coach: Alberto Starace

Years at school: 28

Career record: 438-72-48

Notable team achievements: Won a mythical national title in 2004. Has been ranked in the Top 25 nationally 17 times and has won 10 WCAC titles.



Notable soccer alumni: Kika Toulouse plays for the WSL Washington Spirit, Nataly Arias played for Colombia in the World Cup and Olympics, Liz Carroll is playing professionally in Iceland and Morgan Reuther is playing for the WSL Washington Spirit reserve U-20 team.

Notable non-soccer facts about school: Katie Ziegler is an Olympic swimmer and holds the world record in the 1,500 meter freestyle. Former NFL star Eric Metcalf went to Bishop O'Connell and three other former NFL players also attended. Kendall Marshall, the Phoenix Suns' 2012 first round draft pick, played basketball at the school as well.
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Key player losses:

F Morgan Reuther (Virginia)

M Kara DeGuisto (Elon)

GK Ashley Cox (Slippery Rock)

Key returners:



Jr. M Jenna Ferraro (1 goal, 2 assists)

Soph. M Julia Phillips

Jr. M Lauren Harks (2 goals)

Jr. F Stephanie Page (4 goals, 7 assists)

Jr. D Kyra Alexander

Jr. D Elena Williams



Jr. D Sara Wilson

Key newcomers:

Sr. GK Monica Pearring

Sr. M Christina Cordoba (2 goals, 4 assists)

Jr. M Lizzie Brooks
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Toughest games: The WCAC is a tense battlefield, and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Ireton and St John's lurk on the league schedule. Also, the Knights will face Franklin (Tenn.) and Pennington (N.J.) in addition to playing in the McDonogh tournament.

Question marks: How will the team respond to losing its leading scorer and leading assist distributor? It's a young team, but will that necessarily be a bad thing?

National look: As evinced by Bishop O'Connell's penchant for finishing in the national rankings, the program is one of the best in the nation. But it's hardly the only local squad that is considered each year. Our Lady of Good Counsel is also a national title Early Contender (MaxPreps featured the team in late June), and the rest of the league is hardly a pushover. Teams in the Washington D.C. area play at a high level, and the rest of the nation



In summary: "I'm looking forward to this season. We have such a strong conference that it challenges you as a coach to come and give it your all every week. The players have a lot of desire to keep the tradition going and they want to be in the championship game every year. Hopefully, this year we can be there and win it."
- Head coach Alberto Starace
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