Abby Meader, along with Megan McCashland, is part of a 1-2 punch that is leading Lincoln Southwest to a spectacular season on the pitch.
Courtesy photo
Motivated by the sting of last season's 2-1 season-ending loss to Omaha Marian in the first round of the Class A girls state soccer tournament,
Megan McCashland and
Abby Meader have passed and booted
Lincoln Southwest to a 7-1 start on the 2014 season.
While understanding the one-game-at-a-time mentality it takes to succeed in all sports, the returning Super-State duo is unified in helping the Silver Hawks take one small step into the second round of the state playoffs and then hopefully a giant leap into the championship match for the first time in school history.
If last weekend's Heartland Athletic Conference championship is any indication, Lincoln Southwest could be well on its way to a dream season.
"Our goal is to win state," McCashland said. "But as long as we play our best soccer and play up to our potential, we'll be happy with the outcome."
During its championship run last weekend, Lincoln Southwest did make Meader somewhat of a prophet. After falling to MaxPreps' ninth-ranked Lincoln East (6-4) 2-1 in the second game of the year, the Silver Hawks shut out the Spartans 5-0 in the conference semifinals before upending eighth-ranked Lincoln Southeast 3-0 in the finals.
Meader celebrates a goal.
Courtesy photo
McCashland and Meader guided Silver Hawk coach Thomas Nettleton's club to a tournament-opening 10-0 shutout of Lincoln High as the Silver Hawks outscored their tournament opponents, 18-0. Lincoln Southwest has not been scored on since a 5-1 win over No. 7 Kearney April 5.
Meader was not pleased with the result of that first game against East.
"We need to play team ball," Meader said. "I believe we should have beat Lincoln East. We have struggled at times; I guess we just haven't clicked yet. We need to win big games. We need to win the games against teams like (Lincoln) East and (Lincoln) Southeast before we can move on to play even bigger and better teams in bigger games."
Nettleton knew of the great fortune his program would soon pull aboard before Meader's career even began. McCashland, a sophomore when Meader started her first varsity game as a freshman, led the team in scoring that season while guiding the Silver Hawks to a 13-6 record before falling to Millard North 2-0 in opening-round action at the Nebraska state soccer tournament.
Meader tied the school record for goals in a season as a sophomore, with 26. She has 16 goals and seven assists in the first seven games of her junior season to lead the Silver Hawks. McCashland has chipped in nine goals and nine assists in six games recorded in 2014, while freshman Hannah Davis scored 11 goals and has 10 assists in the first seven games.
"You can tell by watching the both of them that they are a different kind of athlete," Nettleton said. "Abby, our forward, is supposed to put the ball in the back of the net and she has all of the confidence in the world in her teammates getting her the ball. Megan is an out-and-out leader. In terms of her leadership, Megan holds a high standard for both herself and for those around her."
According to Nettleton, McCashland, now a senior, has been relentless in her training for soccer, while Meader has taken the multi-sport route. The 5-foot-7 Meader was Lincoln Southwest's leading scorer on the basketball court last winter, averaging 15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 3.1 assists per game during a 15-10 Silver Hawk campaign.
"I never met or coached an athlete that worked out more in the offseason," Nettleton said of his midfielder McCashland. "She trains six or seven days a week, and she's been doing that since she was about 13 years old. She is very competitive and she drags others with her. She fell in love with the game, and she gets it.
"Being a multi-sport athlete, it wasn't until recently that Abby has taken more of a focus on her individual abilities in soccer. When she came in I was very excited about her. She was fast. She was quick. Since she has applied herself in the offseason, taking soccer more seriously, you can see it on the field."
Both athletes will play soccer in college. Next fall, McCashland will suit up for newly hired Notre Dame coach Theresa Romagnolo, while Meader plans on playing for University of Nebraska-Omaha coach Don Klosterman a year later.
McCashland described Meader as dependable and as a crazy-good scorer.
"She has a great shot and knows how to create for herself," McCashland said of Meader. "She is decisive. She doesn't mess around. She is creative and fun to play with."
Meader added these thoughts on McCashland's game.
"I think she is a beast," Meader said. "She is a team player and works really hard at her game. She pushes others. She is a fun teammate. I'm definitely happy to be on the team with her."
The Silver Hawks are heading into a crucial stretch of their schedule with a visit from third-ranked Omaha Westside coming up Thursday before hitting the road to compete in the Millard South Invitational next week. McCashland, Meader and company will then pay No. 8 Lincoln Southeast a visit April 25.
Nettleton's club goes up against Grand Island and Lincoln North Star before completing the regular season with a trip to the Papillion-LaVista Tournament.
"Both will tell you that they are trying to improve day by day," Nettleton said. "They should have the expectation to make an impact whether it's to score a goal or make an assist each game. I don't think that is too much to ask. I know they each have a higher standard than that for themselves. I don't think they're thinking, ‘What can I bring each night for me as an individual. But what is my role as far as the team goes.'"
With the 2014 World Cup quickly approaching, McCashland has her seat reserved in front of the television, where she will cheer on team USA and watch and learn from the world's best. She also said this about her soccer career beyond college.
"I want to take this game as far as I can," McCashland said. "I want to continue to be involved in the game after college whether it's playing professionally, with the national team or as a coach. I don't know my potential as far as playing professionally, but that's way in the future. I want to go as far as I can with the game, and I want to play it for as long as I can."
