BRAINERD — Defense wins championships and the Brainerd Warriors just happen to have an experienced backline. They also have a goal of winning a Section 8-3A Championship. Last season, injuries had the Warriors stumbling into the playoffs with a 1-5 record in their last six games.
Then Brainerd, a sixth-seed in the section playoffs, knocked off No. 3 Sartell 2-1 before falling to No. 2-seeded Buffalo 1-0.
The improved play has Brainerd hoping for big things this year. ADVERTISEMENT “Last year, we had a big senior class, but by the end of the season with injuries and some things, we ended up having to play a lot of these girls,” Warriors head coach Grant Gmeinder said. “They got just a ton of experience last year and this was that big core that we relied on toward the end of the year when we made that little playoff run.
We have a lot of veterans coming back. Girls that got to play a lot of minutes as younger players. We’re excited for this group and we talked at the end of last year concerning goals for this year about building on that.
They want to build on that and take the next step off a really positive end to last season.” One reason for the improved play last year and optimism this year is the return of junior goalkeeper Chloe Patrick. In 1,380 minutes last season, she finished with a 1.
51 goals-against average and a .75 save percentage. She was named the team MVP and All-Central Lakes Conference.
Also returning is her backup junior Mia Sypnieski to give Brainerd experience and depth. “Our goalie situation is as good as it’s ever been with Chloe and Mia,” Gmeinder said. “We have three really talented freshmen who will be fighting for minutes with the junior varsity team.
We’re in a great spot and that starts with Chloe. “She elevated her game so much from her freshman to her sophomore year. Based on what I’ve seen, she’s put in even more work after her sophomore season.
It’s fun to see a kid have that success and then not settle for that success. She’s put in the work and the time and has come back stronger and quicker and ready to take a bigger step this year.” The Warriors will have to find someone to fill in for the graduated Molly Pohlkamp, who was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year, but there are candidates.
Senior captains Elsie Johnson and Ava Lust return as do senior Madilyn Bertram, juniors Gracie Jackovich, Sophia Menghini, Myia Nelson and Sophia Porter and sophomore Kahlan Johnson. Jackovich was named Most Improved last season and earned All-CLC along with Lust. “We are returning four girls in that defensive area and we really only need to replace one, but that one was Molly Pohlkamp,” Gmeinder said.
“You don’t find another Molly Pohlkamp, but we’re excited for that defensive crew. Ava Lust and Elsie Johnson are coming back as seniors. There’s tons of experience with those two so we’re excited for that leadership.
Gracie was an all-conference kid and Kahlen Johnson played a lot as a freshman. She’s young still, but has a ton of experience. ADVERTISEMENT “I think our defense will be our strength and that’s where we’re looking to build from.
If we start to get those forwards and mids to start scoring some more goals that’s where we think we’re going to have a lot of success. With Chloe and our defense, they’re going to keep us in every game.” Another luxury the Warriors will roster is the return of four of its top five scorers from last season.
Leading that charge is junior forward Lilly DeRosier. The three-sport athlete and All-Central Lakes Conference player finished with nine goals and five assists. Right behind DeRosier was another three-sport athlete in sophomore Macy Castle, who finished with seven goals and five assists.
Castle was named Newcomer of the Year. “It’s been several years for sure since we had a 1-2 punch like Lilly and Macy,” Gmeinder said. “I think those two coming back had a nice sophomore and eighth-grade year and started to develop some chemistry and understanding.
Those two showed up in big moments. Both scored in the playoff game against Sartell and have a knack for elevating their game in big moments. “Now coming back we sat those two down with Lindsay Hunt and Levi LeMieur and the big thing we talked about was their experience, but more so challenged them to score even more.
Seven or eight goals is not enough. We need this crew to put the ball in the back of the net. That was a struggle for us last year.
” Junior forward Lindsay Hunt was fifth on the team with two goals and two assists. Junior Levi LeMieur was third on Brainerd’s scoring list with five goals and two assists. She’ll man the midfield along with senior captains Haylie Crutcher and Kylee Soens.
ADVERTISEMENT “Levi is coming back from an injury so we’re excited to see her work back in,” Gmeinder said. “Kylee didn’t start with the varsity last year, but finished with it and was a big part of that team. She earned some great experience last year and we’re excited to see what she does this year.
Haylie is coming back and then sophomore Ellen Germundson had a great offseason. She worked hard. She looks strong and fit and we think she’ll fit into that midfield as well.
” Soans and Crutcher finished with an assist apiece. Rounding out the middle will be senior Abby Larson, juniors Holly Bergin, Madeline Maurer and Avery Vagts and sophomores Sophia Lundy and Claire Lust. Similar to last year, Brainerd is still young with just six seniors on the roster.
Gmeinder hopes, like last year, Brainerd is much improved by the end of the regular season. “These girls saw that last year,” Gmeinder said. “We didn’t have a great regular season last year, but by the end of the year, I’d put that team up against any other team I’ve coached.
We’re bringing back a lot more experience than we did last year, I think, but we’re still young. It’s also going to be new roles and more minutes and all of that for a lot of these girls. Where we start is not where we expect to finish.
” With that, Gmeinder said St. Michael-Albertville will likely be the favorite in the section. They won last year’s title and didn’t graduate many players.
Gmeinder likes where Brainerd fits against the rest of the section. “Our depth is really good this year and it’s been one of the harder tryouts,” Gmeinder said. “We have a deep group with a large junior group and a handful of sophomores.
We’re sorting through all of those players. We have 24 players on our roster and I don’t see us playing 24 kids, but we have that many players we could see playing with that varsity team throughout the year. Our team motto is ‘Stronger together.
’ ADVERTISEMENT “We saw it last year. We dealt with how many season-ending injuries? But just knowing we have that many players working and waiting and getting better is a good feeling.” JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at 218-855-5856 or jeremy.
[email protected]. Follow on Twitter at www.
twitter.com/jeremymillsop ..
