The Liberty Bell girls’ soccer team includes returning all-league players Tommie Ochoa (front row, second from left), Maya Sheely (front row, third from left), Ali Palm (back row, third from left) and Josephine Cole (back row, fifth from left).
Girls’ soccer squad has talent, experience
How do you improve on perfection?
The 2018 Liberty Bell High School girls’ soccer squad is a tough act to follow. They rolled to an 18-0 record in regular season play on their way to another state tournament appearance. The winning streak came to an end in Sumner, where the Lady Lions finished fourth after losing to eventual state champion St. Georges and then to Adna.
So the slate will once again be clean when Liberty Bell opens the 2019 season on Thursday (Sept. 12) on their home pitch against Omak. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. A home game that had been scheduled on Sept. 7 against Pullman was canceled.
The Lady Lions lost three players to graduation last year, including Sally Thornton-White, who was the league’s most valuable player and was one of five Lady Lions were named to the CW 2B All League first team.
But Liberty Bell has a solid foundation as three of those all-league performers return this year: seniors Tommie Ochoa and Ali Palm, and junior Josephine Cole. Senior Maya Sheely, a speedster on the outside who was named to the all-league second team last year, also returns, as do a host of younger players who saw a lot of productive action last year. Sophomore Chloe Sprauer made the all-league second team last year as a freshman.
Also last year, Liberty Bell coach Lincoln Post was named coach of the year, and the Lady Lions won the league sportsmanship award.
Next Tuesday (Sept. 17), Liberty Bell travels to Bridgeport, then returns home on Sept. 19 to host Manson, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
In 2016, at Liberty Bell’s most-recent trip to the finals in Sumner before 2018, the Lady Lions lost to St. George’s in the semifinals and finished fourth. In 2017, St. George’s eliminated Liberty Bell in quarterfinals play. The Lady Lions missed a trip to Sumner in 2015, but took second in 2014, third in 2013 and fourth in 2012.
