The 2009 All-Area Girls Soccer Team

Coach of the year

Stan Golon

SCHOOL: Jefferson Forest

YEAR: 10th

RECORD: 17-4-1 (150-51-11 career)

ALL-STAR STUFF: Golon guided the Cavaliers to their 13th Seminole District regular-season crown and 11th tournament title. “They had a great year making it to state for the first time in seven years and they brought home a regional tournament title,” said E.C. Glass coach Darien McClurg, The News & Advance 2008 all-area coach of the year. Golon pointed to his players. “We had a lot of great chemistry and positive energy,” he said.

First Team

Dessi Dupuy

SCHOOL: E.C. Glass

YEAR: Sophomore

POSITION: Forward

ALL-STAR STUFF: Dupuy spearheaded the Hilltoppers’ volatile attack, scoring 25 goals and distributing six assists to lead the team with 56 points. “Dessi’s the best finisher in the area,” McClurg said. “She can put the ball in the goal like no other player in the area. We looked to Dessi on set pieces with the ball in the air… because she is the best female in the area in being able to get up in the air and do creative things with it.” She earned first-team all-district and second-team all-region honors and was one of the area’s most feared scorers. “Dessi, we were afraid of her at times,” said Golon, whose team lost twice to Glass, by 6-1 and 3-0 scores. “She got into the back of our heads.”

Jodi Salyer

SCHOOL: Staunton River

YEAR: Freshman

POSITION: Forward

ALL-STAR STUFF: Golden Eagles coach Kenneth Young said he was surprised that Salyer, the starting point guard on the basketball team, was the top vote-getter as the Seminole District player of the year, even after scoring 27 goals and distributing 10 assists. “I knew she deserved it,” he said. “She plays hard all year long in basketball and soccer and has for many years.” She scored eight of her goals off corner-kick assists from older sister Amy, a starting defender. Salyer also is a solid defensive midfielder. “The biggest thing was the way she’d catch people from behind,” Young said. “She pretty much controls the center part of the field. She controlled the tempo for us and got us going on transition.”

Chelsea Hayes

SCHOOL: Jefferson Forest

YEAR: Sophomore

POSITION: Forward

ALL-STAR STUFF: Hayes finished second to Salyer in Seminole District player of the year voting, though Golon thought she was the superior player. “She has great speed and such a low center of gravity so it was hard to move her off the ball,” he said. “She comes up with the subtle stuff, the flick touches, and she has a cannon for a leg.” She scored 24 goals, including three game-winners, and distributed six assists despite platooning at forward for the first half of the season in the Cavaliers’ 3-5-2 formation. Her demeanor is what makes her such a pleasure for Golon to coach. “She’s so level-headed, nothing affects her,” he said. “She gets hit and keeps going.”

Jen Mawn

SCHOOL: E.C. Glass

YEAR: Junior

POSITION: Midfielder

ALL-STAR STUFF: Mawn surpassed fellow midfielder Freeman in establishing a new single-season assist record at Glass with 17 this season to go along with her seven goals. “Genna and Jen went back and forth and in the last two games, Jen pulled ahead,” McClurg said, noting the two players combined for 31 assists. “(Mawn) kind of makes us go. When she has a good game, we have a good game. She’s a great distributor of the ball. Jen’s ability to pass makes (the forwards’) job a little bit easier.” She was named first-team all-district and second-team all-region as well as the Hilltoppers’ team MVP, as voted by her peers.

Courtney Dearing

SCHOOL: Staunton River

YEAR: Senior

POSITION: Midfielder

ALL-STAR STUFF: Always dangerous with or without the ball, Dearing finished with 11 goals and a team-high 13 assists off great crossing passes from the right side. A fireball as a player, she also picked up a number of yellow cards and one red one in a 5-0 season-ending loss to Lord Botetourt in the Region III quarterfinals. Dearing, a senior captain in both soccer and basketball, will continue her soccer career at Bridgewater College, where she plans to room with future teammate Cat Padgett of Liberty.

Katherine Frank

SCHOOL: Jefferson Forest

YEAR: Sophomore

POSITION: Midfielder

ALL-STAR STUFF: Frank ranked among the top Seminole District players at any position and received second-team all-Region III consideration as a sophomore. “She is a major link between our defense and our attack,” Golon said. “She brings an amazing work rate and work ethic. It’s incomprehensible how much she runs.” A quiet leader, she is all business on the field. “She’s a great kid,” Golon added. “She goes out and does her work. I haven’t seen a kid work harder. It’s unbelievable.” Frank scored two goals, including one game winner, to go with her seven assists.

Jordan May

SCHOOL: Jefferson Forest

YEAR: Senior

POSITION: Defender

ALL-STAR STUFF: A two-year captain of the Cavaliers’ defense, Golon said May was a complete student of the game who was always looking to improve. “She’s a commander on the field, a field general,” he said. “She’s very confident and strong in the back. She was hard to beat and played intelligently. She drove the team. She was the main line of communication. She kept the team on task and handled that better than almost anyone ever had.” May, who will play at Roanoke College this fall, earned first-team all-district and first-team all-region honors.

Cat Padgett

SCHOOL: Liberty

YEAR: Senior

POSITION: Defender

ALL-STAR STUFF: A four-year varsity starter for the Minettes, Padgett provided plenty of leadership on defense, even after cracking a rib in an early-season contest. “She single-handedly kept us in a lot of games,” coach Jeff Steele said, noting she had the strongest leg on the team and was accurate with her goal kicks and corner kicks. “She had the ability to win a ball in the air and to place a ball directly up to a midfielder or forward.” Padgett earned the respect of both of her Bedford County rivals. “She really had a great year,” Young said. “The time they beat us this year, I put all the credit on Cat. She is very tough to get around.”

Kendall Good

SCHOOL: E.C. Glass

YEAR: Senior

POSITION: Defender

ALL-STAR STUFF: A four-year starter and the Hilltoppers’ strongest overall defender, Good started every game. “With our three-back system, we used a combination of kids so Kendall was invaluable,” McClurg said. “With a freshman starting at central back, we relied on her more than ever before to settle us.” Good scored four goals, mostly off set pieces, and added three assists, receiving first-team all-district and honorable mention all-region recognition.

Anna Greene

SCHOOL: E.C. Glass

YEAR: Junior

POSITION: Goalkeeper

ALL-STAR STUFF: McClurg said Greene and JF’s Dorothy Nugent played at a level above their peers this season. “Anna and Dorothy play in a flat-back three (defensive formation) and have to play on their feet a lot,” he said. “Anna’s mistake-free on her feet. She (often) has to play as the last field player and she commands the box.” Greene recorded seven shutouts, making 68 saves and allowing just seven goals in 860 minutes minding the cage. She was named second-team all-district.

Second Team

F Maggie Rawlins, Liberty Sr. — A great all-around player, Rawlins earned first-team all-Seminole District and honorable mention all-Region III honors.

F Cameron DeWitt, Jefferson Forest Sr. — The Rotary Club all-around student athlete award winner for all of Bedford County, DeWitt scored 13 goals and added nine assists and was named first-team all-district. “She’s so dangerous in the air and she runs like a gazelle,” Golon said. DeWitt ranks second all-time at JF in scoring behind Brittany Gallagher with 54 goals and 28 assists.

F Ashlea Caylor, E.C. Glass Sr. — She scored 13 goals with seven assists, earning first-team all-WVD honors. “Teams can’t afford to double up Dessi (Dupuy) too much because of her speed,” McClurg said. “Her work rate is exceptional.”

F Taylor Duff, Jefferson Forest Sr. — Duff netted 10 goals and distributed nine assists to finished ranked third all-time at JF in scoring with 42 goals and 33 assists. “She came back revived … with an attacking mentality … and really went after it,” Golon said. “She took on the left back and was able to get in quality crosses from the right side regularly.”

MF Sheri Koenig, Appomattox Sr. — First-team all-Dogwood District and all-Region B selection who will continue her career at Covenant College (Ga.), brought good speed and a lot of energy to the midfield. “She can run and run and run,” coach David Loy said. She netted six goals with three assists.

MF Sarah Winship, Liberty Christian Academy Jr. — Scored 15 goals with six assists, making first-team all-Blue Ridge Conference and all-BRC tournament team.

MF Hannah Burley, Amherst Fr. — Burley was one of only three freshmen to receive second-team all-Region III recognition.

D Amy Salyer, Staunton River Jr. — Scored four goals and had 11 assists from the left fullback position by coming up to take all of the team’s corner kicks and many of its free kicks. “She kind of anchors our defense,” Young said. “She’s a big part of our team.”

D Danielle Brittigan, Jefferson Forest So. — Brittigan and junior left back Gracie McNally flanked Jordan May to form a flat-back three combination that was difficult to penetrate.

D Meg Kenny, E.C. Glass Jr. — Kenny, who played center back in the Hilltoppers’ flat-back three, was imposing with her size and aggressive in her pursuit of the ball.

GK Dorothy Nugent, Jefferson Forest Sr. — In 1,673 minutes, Nugent posted 12.5 shutouts, made 71 saves and allowed 18 goals in 22 games, earning first-team Region III status.