Eastern’s Madison Hopkins fires for a goal in the Lady Warriors’ Aug. 16 scrimmage against Fayetteville.


Eastern girls begin pursuit of SHAC Division I title – 

By Wade Linville – 

The Eastern Lady Warriors hit the soccer field this season in search of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Division I title, and they certainly have the talent and experience it will take to finish as the 2017 league champs.
This year’s Lady Warriors, headed by coach Kevin Hoover, are equipped with eight seniors to help provide them with upperclassmen leadership on the field. Along with some skilled juniors and other talented underclassmen, you can expect this year’s Lady Warriors to be tough competition for SHAC opponents.
Among the experienced seniors on the return are Madison Hopkins and Cassidy Staggs, each who can provide huge contributions on the offensive end.
Hopkins was able to display her offensive skills in a Aug. 16 scrimmage against the Fayetteville-Perry Lady Rockets, scoring three goals in the first half to aid the Lady Warriors to a 4-0 lead.
Also back for her senior season is Katie Hoover.
Other seniors taking the field for the Lady Warriors this fall include: Kayla Heath, Jasey Dufresne, Kiara Colliver, Caitlyn Brown, and Amanda Baker.
The Lady Warriors also possess some talented juniors who will contribute to the team’s success this season, including Morgan Reynolds, Beka Grayless, Jaime Hoover, Meg Holden, and Abby Swanson.
There are three sophomores appearing on this year’s Lady Warrior varsity soccer roster – Katelyn Cowdrey, Abby Gillespie, and Jessica Hodgson.
Making their high school soccer debuts for the Lady Warriors this season are six freshmen – Caitlyn Wills, Ysabel Ramer, Karleigh Perkins, Emma Murrie, Landis Makstaller, and Emma Layman.
The Lady Warriors were scheduled to face the Georgetown Lady G-Men in their final scrimmage of the preseason on Aug. 17 before venturing to Hillsboro for their official season opener on Saturday, Aug. 19.
The Lady Warriors are scheduled to be back in action on their home field Monday, Aug. 21 for a non-league match against Portsmouth West.