By Dave Lamb - Contributing Writer

Don't throw away last year's program for the Alter girls high school soccer team. It's the same cast of characters with 18 players returning, including all 11 starters, for one of the area's most intriguing teams.

Head coach Jason Balogh, who started as many as nine sophomores last year, thinks their trial by fire will pay off.

"I'm hoping that the return of all that experience helps out," he said. "We were extremely young last year, but we also did rather well."

Alter posted an 11-9 record last year, including three straight shutout wins in tournament play before a 2-1 loss to eventual Division II state champion Hamilton Badin.

The Knights will need every bit of that experience to withstand their rugged schedule

They open the season Aug. 26 and 27 against Bay Village, a state semifinalist in Division II, and Strongsville, the state's defending Division I champion.

Balogh knows it won't get any easier in the Girls Greater Cincinnati League.

"The big dog on the block is still Badin, who returns nearly every player as we do," he said. "The GGCL got even tougher if that's possible with the addition of Chaminade-Julienne, Fenwick and Carroll."

With Oakwood, Fenwick and Valley View all expected to be improved, that "will make our district extremely difficult to get out of. We're working hard to be the best we can be come tournament time," Balogh said.

Alter soccer standout signs with Alabama
Alter senior Carly Mygrants, a first-team All-Ohio player last year, already knows where she'll continue her career in college.

The second-year captain will play at the University of Alabama.

The Crimson Tide finished 8-8-2 last year in the Southeastern Conference.

Mygrants has been an All-GGCL performer since her freshman season and was the league's runner-up player of the year last year. The center midfielder was named the Dayton South Player of the Year.

She has also enjoyed success at the club level with two trips to the regional level with Cincinnati United Premier.

Fairmont goalie plays in Germany
On the heels of the World Cup soccer tournament in Germany, Fairmont senior goalkeeper Corey Whisenhunt has been playing with a U.S. select national team at many of the same venues.

Whisenhunt earned a spot on the 1988 (under-18) team with his performance at a tryout camp in Florida in January. Eighteen players were selected from a pool of 126.

The U.S. team was scheduled to play in 10 matches in 15 days against teams from Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic

Whisenhunt won't be home for long. He will play for a Louisville-based team in a national tournament in Boston Aug. 3-6.

His Louisville team plays in the United States Soccer League that includes teams from Toronto, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Western Michigan.

Firebirds ready for action
Are the Fairmont Firebirds ready to start the boys high school soccer season

On the home page of their Web site at fairmontsoccer.com, the Firebirds have a countdown clock — down to the seconds — to their season opener at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 against Piqua.

Fairmont's Web site has an interview with former Firebird and University of Dayton standout Chris Rolfe, who plays Major League Soccer for the Chicago Fire. The site also includes several action photos.

Elk freshman in regional select soccer tourney
Kacie Kumar, a freshman at Centerville High School, played with a Cincinnati-area select soccer team that reached the Region II Championships in Madison, Wis.

Her under-14 team became the first Sycamore Arsenal team to reach the regional, which covers 11 states.

The Arsenal qualified by finishing runner-up in the Midwest Region League's Premier Division with a 7-2-1 record. Over the past two years, her team has compiled a 30-4-9 record.

View Article at DDN
View Article at DDN