Photos by Ray Hamill/Humboldtsports.com – Madalyn Conley, left, in action last season for the Tigers. Conley is one one several returning players for Arcata this fall.
By Ray Hamill — The Arcata girls could be the team to beat in H-DNL soccer this fall, as they get set for their league opener next week.
Long-time head coach Patrick Stranahan, now in his 10th year in charge of the program, returns a strong veteran team that should compete for a league championship and more.
“The team is already showing as a cohesive group with strong leadership,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a great season, as long as its not interrupted by COVID.”
This past spring, the Tigers pushed a dominant and senior-heavy Eureka team all the way in the finale of the delayed and shortened 2020 season.
They return all but three graduated seniors from that team, including all-league senior captain Tildy Macdonald, one of the most consistent midfielders in the H-DNL.
Joining her as co-captains are her sister Annie Macdonald, a senior who will play up front, and junior defender Gracie Towsend.
Annie Macdonald was an all-league honorable mention in the spring after leading the team with six assists.
Also back is senior first-team all-league goalkeeper Serendipity Welsh, although the Tigers will have some big holes to fill in front of her after graduating defenders Zoe Leonard and Sophia Salinas, each of whom played a key role the past few seasons.
Other key returning players include junior Kyla Berman, who led the team with 13 goals in the spring, and sophomore Alia Prentiss, who had 12 goals and five assists in her debut campaign.
Arcata’s Kyla Berman led the team in scoring last season.
Gracie Townsend (26) is one three captains on this year’s team.
Junior Zoe Macknicki is also back after a big spring offensively, when she scored five goals and added four assists.
“We look to be a very competitive side,” Stranahan added.
The goal for the Tigers, no doubt, will be to win league for the first time since 2016, but this is a team that appears talented and deep enough to also challenge for a North Coast Section championship.
The Tigers memorably defeated Eureka in an overtime NCS semifinal two years ago — the last team to beat the Loggers — but they would go on to lose the section decider.
Whether they can go one better this year and claim a first-ever NCS title remains to be seen, but they do appear to have the lineup to do so.
The Tigers, who were 7-3 in the spring, will kick off the new soccer season next Wednesday at South Fork.
