Platte County likely viewed last season as a chance to start what could be a long run of postseason success.
Instead, Smithville played spoiler, and Platte County suddenly has more questions to answer than expected. A 1-0 loss in the Class 3 District 8 championship game prevented them from back-to-back playoff appearances, and now, the Pirates move forward minus the top two scorers that helped to accrue a 46-7 combined record the past two seasons.
Platte County could have a significantly youthful look this season, albeit with experienced players who must quickly grow into increased roles and expectations. The Pirates will expect a sophomore core of forwards Lily Kytasaari and Lauren Stone and midfielders Rylee Burris and Giada Cucchiara along with experienced wingers in senior Sloan Kassen and Addison Mayne to help the Pirates develop a new, offensively diverse identity.
“We expect to have another good season,” said Platte County coach Ashlyn Brantley, now just seven wins shy of 200 in her career. “We will need a couple players to step up and replace our top goal scorers from last season. We have a solid group of returners and hope that they can bring in the newcomers to play as one.”
Platte County finished 22-4 last season with three of those losses by a 1-0 score to rival Smithville, which used head-to-head wins in the regular season to win the Suburban Conference Blue Division title and then used the third victory to propel them to a third-place finish in state. The Pirates’ staunch defense allowed just nine goals total — five to Smithville
The loss in the district final marked just the seventh time in two years Platte County failed to tally a goal. Those instances account for all of the losses in that span, including a Class 3 state quarterfinal loss at Grain Valley that concluded the 2021 season.
Platte County’s small but might senior class included forwards Riley Smith (42 goals, three assists), Hannah Stone (17 goals, two assists) and reserve Aleah Dixon (six goals), while midfielder Paige Chase tallied three goals and played a pivotal role as a defensive midfielder. Triton Davey rounded out the group and enjoyed a standout campaign as a first-year starter in the center of defense.
Three of those players earned Class 3 Missouri High School Soccer Coaches Association all-state honors. Smith was a two-time first-team honoree, while Stone twice made honorable mention. Chase also appeared as an honorable mention selection in 2021.
All five players were a big part of the successful two-year run after the canceled 2020 season, and only Chase played a significant role as a freshman.
Smith did not play for Platte County as a freshman but then tallied nearly 100 goals in her two seasons as an attacker before signing to play Division I at Missouri State. Dixon missed the second half of her junior season due to a devastating knee injury and carved out a key reserve role as a senior after coming back from surgery.
While the questions on offense will be obvious, Platte County’s defense returns junior central defender Alex Beeman and senior right back Cosette Stephenson, who will be part of the backline in front of sophomore Finley Kaser in her second season as a starter. After missing time early in the season due to a concussion, she came back to record 14 cleansheets and earn first team Blue Division all-conference honors.
However, Platte County also must replace an additional trio of key pieces who opted not to return to the team. That includes starting left back Morgan Stewart and reserve midfielders Mackenzie Shields and Addison Bradley.
With all of those factors considered, Kytasaari (eight goals, seven assists), Kassen (nine goals, five assists) and Lauren Stone (five goals, five assists) will look to become the focal point of Platte County’s offense up front, while Burris (10 goals), Cucchiara (two goals, five assists) and junior Marissa Orellana will have the most returning experience in the midfield. The Pirates also bring back junior forward Carmen Gentilia, while sophomores Annabel Beeman and Madison Palmer both started on defense at points last season and will have to step up to offset the loss of Davey and Stewart.
Due to the amount of attrition on the roster, depth might become Platte County’s biggest question mark. However, Brantley also expects freshman Saige Dickens to make an immediate impact as an attacker either up top or on the wing, while while juniors Kaelyn Ballach and Addison Sloan have an opportunity to earn more playing time. Ballach could be another defensive option, while Sloan now factors into the midfield rotation.
Platte County opens the season in the Platte County Invitational and owns the No. 3 seed. The Pirates host No. 6 St. Pius X on Saturday at Pirate Stadium, and games in the bracket will be split between Central Bank Sporting Kansas City Complex.
The field also includes Pleasant Hill, Kearney, Staley, Grain Valley, Liberty and Raymore-Peculiar. Semifinals will be played Monday and the place games are slated for Wednesday. The Pirates’ new look lineup should receive strong tests early and often with Staley the first scheduled regular season game following the tournament.
