What you need to know about girls soccer in the St. Cloud metro this fall

The soccer season is just around the corner in the St. Cloud metro area, and several girls' teams have high expectations for the upcoming year. Among them are Cathedral, Sartell, Becker, St. John's Prep, St. Cloud Crush (Apollo and Tech), Rocori and Albany.

Cathedral, a Class 1A team, had a record of 18-3-1 last season and finished co-third place in the state tournament. Their top returners are F Amelia Newiger, F Nora Simones and F/GK Jordan Bovy. Although they will miss the reliable presence of Aubrey Lesnau in goal, Bovy posted a .872 save percentage last season and contributed seven goals and eight assists.

Sartell, a Class 2A team, finished the previous season with a 13-6 record and as the Section 8 champions. Top returners include F Mollie Statsick, F Rosabella Castillo and GK Mya Ramirez. Statsick led the team with 37 goals and 14 assists last season, while Ramirez stepped into her sophomore year as the team's goalkeeper.

Becker, another Class 2A team, had a 10-4-3 record last season. Top returning players are Adele Changamire and Andersyn Changamire, who led the team with 33 and 19 goals respectively. Alyssa Kinney added 9 assists and 2 goals. The team will start the season with five consecutive home matches beginning on Aug. 29.

St. John's Prep, also a Class 1A team, had an impressive 10-6-0 record despite their young lineup last season. Top returners include M Claudia Ruzanic, F Lauren Lenzmeir and M/GK Maya Beumer. Ruzanic and Lezmeir are expected to lead the offensive attack again, while Beumer in goal has a .811 save percentage.

St. Cloud Crush (Apollo and Tech), a Class 2A co-op team, had a 10-6-3 record as a debut season. Top returners are M Isabella Frantesl, GK Reeghan Stevens. Frantesl is set to have a big senior year following the loss of several senior scorers. Stevens returns in goal, boasting a .865 save percentage as a freshman and logging four shutouts.

Rocori, a Class 2A team, had an 8-5-3 record last season. Top returners include F/M Ashley Storms, F Emelia Terwey and F Jasmie Perez. Rocori will likely face challenges with the loss of their top goal scorer and goalkeeper, but the team is confident in the contributions of Storms, Terwey and Perez.

Albany, a Class 1A team, had a 3-12-1 record last season. Returning players include GK Stephanie Pelzer, F Hope Anderson and M Riley Rushmeyer. With a majority of their seniors graduating, Albany is optimistic about improvements in the season ahead.