PANORA — The first official season for Panorama girls soccer will commence April 2 when the Panthers travel to Des Moines Hoover.
While the match will be the first for the Panthers as a team, it will hardly be the inaugural match for several members of the team, as a handful of players have spent the past few seasons playing for Perry as part of a former sharing agreement.
“A lot of our girls have played in leagues, too, but certainly the girls who have been playing for Perry will have something of an edge — they know more of what to expect in a varsity situation,” head coach Curt Thornberry. “I think we will be athletic throughout the lineup and look forward to seeing how things work out.”
“So far we are just spending our time with conditioning and working on some ball skills,” he added. “I am already starting to see some girls emerge and start to stand out.”Ashley Clark and Lauren Soll will be competing for the starting job as goalkeeper, but Thornberry was reticent to assign other positions.
“It is just too early,” he insisted. “We will know more after another week of practice.”
Bryn Steffen and both Ella and Jaelyn Waddle are out for the team, as are seniors Nicole Rolfes and Martina Rade. Kennedy Kuta, Jensen Wilke, Erica Block and Alyson Bauch will be in uniform, as will Anna Holloway, Emily Smith and Deanna Solarzano.
Also in the roster are Lexi Van Winkle, McKenna Woodvine, Maise Knapp, McKenzie Burns, Lexy McCullah and Emma Powell. Sophomore Bailey Cmelik and freshmen sisters Audrey and Paige Cmelik will also play for the Panthers.
Panorama will face three teams — Clarke, Greene County, and Logan-Magnolia — who are also fielding a varsity team for the first time. With the exception of an April 21 tournament at Nevada and a coed tourney at West Central Valley one week later, the Panther girls will play at 5 p.m., with the Panther boys to follow at 7 p.m. The first home date on the schedule is April 12, with Grandview Christian visiting Panora.
