Health and defense will steer Cape Central’s season outcome

Cape Central girls soccer coach Duncan McKinley had an up-and-down season in 2022, going 11-11 with the Tiger’s season ending in the Class 3 District 1 semifinals to eventual district champion Notre Dame (St.Louis).

“Last year we relied heavily on Abbie Simon and Bradyn Pittman for offense,” McKinley said. “We lost both players we lost to graduation so this year we will have to have a combination of players to fill that void.”

Luckily for McKinley, most of his defense returns as well as veteran goalkeeper Demi Drum, who McKinley thinks will play a vital role in her leadership.

"We’ll look for Demi (Drum) for not only her leadership but for on-field guidance,” McKinley said. “ We have a large group of sophomores that will play so our veterans like Drum, Madison Phelps, and Celeste Gutierrez will be crucial to help the younger girls on the field.”

Tay Jennings and Lacie Helm are two of the aforementioned sophomores mentioned to make an immediate impact for Cape Central, who hopes to stay healthy this year as the injury bug hit the Tigers hard in 2022.

“We were unfortunately hit with some injuries toward the end of the year,” McKinley said. “That slowed us down heading into the postseason so if we can stay relatively healthy this year so I think keeping the girls healthy will be a top priority this season.”

Cape Central will start its season on the road at St. Vincent on Monday, March 20, and will also travel to Kelly, Fredericktown, Poplar Bluff, Jackson, Saxony Lutheran, and Notre Dame. The Tigers will host Windsor, St. Pius X(Festus), Perryville, Sikeston, and Farmington and will host North County for Senior Night Festivities on April 27.