Platte County’s season ended last spring with a loss in the Class 3 District 8 semifinals. The Pirates ended up one win shy of at least a .500 record but mostly successful season when considering the cumulative circumstances.
Needing to replace a large senior class that included on of the most prolific scorers in program history, Platte County came back from an 0-5 start and only struggled at the finish as key injuries piled up.
The pieces appeared in place for almost guaranteed long-term success, but another offseason of attrition and injuries leads to some questions. The Pirates graduated leading scorer and two-year standout Sloan Kassen from an attack that produced three or more goals in 8 of 23 games and defensive standout Cosette Stephenson but expected to bring back 12 players with significant starting experience.
Instead, Platte County will look to build around a backline of seniors Alex Beeman and Kaelyn Bellach and juniors Annabel Beeman and Madison Palmer and third-year junior starting goalkeeper Finley Kaser. However, Platte County’s midfield and attack will have seniors Marrissa Orellana and Addison Sloan, juniors Rylee Burris and Lily Kytasaari and sophomore Saige Dickens in much more prominent roles.
In addition to graduating Kassen, junior Lauren Stone will not be back, while junior defensive midfielder Giada Cucchiara will miss the season due to a torn ACL suffered in the fall.
Platte County went 11-12 last season but didn’t experience a significant drop-off coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons that included a run to the Class 3 state quarterfinals in 2021. Expectations will still be high given the returners, but a challenging early schedule that includes a stacked eight-team Platte County Invitational bracket and a road test at defending Class 3 District 8 champion Smithville could require some patience for the results to show.
“We are looking forward to a competitive season,” said Platte County veteran coach Ashlyn Brantley, who recorded her 200th career victory last season. “We have some new players that will be getting time and believe will fit in well with our team dynamic.”
Part of Platte County’s issues late last season were injuries to Orellana (back), Stephenson (head) and Cucchiara (shin). The benefit ended up being additional time for Bellach, Sloan and Dickens in particular.
Stephenson and Alex Beeman were the first choice pairing at center back with Palmer moving inside when injuries changed the rotations. She normally started outside opposite of Annabel Beeman with Bellach receiving time on the wing when Stephenson missed multiple games due to a concussion.
Despite the inconsistency, Kaser still recorded 10 cleansheets. She enters her third year as the full-time starter with plenty of experience and a track record of strong play.
In addition to the returners, Brantley also expects freshman Caroline Linn to compete for time on the backline.
The loss of Cucchiara does complicate the setup became a key piece as the top choice at defensive midfielder. Kytasaari and Burris — the Pirates’ top two returning scorers — will likely pair up top in attacking midfield and forward roles, leaving Orellana, Dickens and Sloan as the other experienced midfielders and all were used in more of attacking roles.
Brantley also plans to use junior Brooklynne Jenni, a transfer, and freshman Amela Dzilic, who could also see time up top with Burris, in the midfield.
“We expect multiple players to lead in the attack,” Brantley said. “While we will look to possess, we will have the ability for quick counters and multiple players that can get a shot off. We have quite a bit of experience, especially in the back line. We look to have a solid back four that can not only stop the opposing team, but be the beginning of our attack.”
Lack of depth became an issue at times last season, but Platte County does seem to have more options this year with sophomore Kaylee Dixon and junior Alivia Juarez having seen the field at the varsity level last year. The Pirates’ hopes of a return to a winning record likely hinge on how quickly the pieces come back together in the attack minus Kassen’s versatile skill set to alleviate pressure on the seasoned defensive backline to limit the offense of a lot of talented teams.
Platte County just missed a share of the Suburban Conference White Division title last season despite some of the challenges, going 6-2 with both losses to Grain Valley — one in overtime. The second came in the regular season finale with the Pirates losing 6 of their final 10 overall.
Pembroke Hill accounted for two of those and scored the only goal of a 1-0 Class 3 District 8 semifinal on a well-struck free kick more than 45 yards out.
