Wyoming Area, Lake-Lehman and Holy Redeemer were so tightly packed in girls soccer in 2024 that the Lady Warriors finished behind their two rivals in Wyoming Valley Conference play, but wound up ahead of them in overall power ratings as the top seed in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs.
Another season of title contention could be shaping up at Wyoming Area, which had its biggest roster of the decade with 27 players last season and has matched that number this season.
“For Wyoming Area, those are solid numbers,” Lady Warriors coach Chad Kranson said. “The trend seems to be going up as far as girls getting involved in the program, which is great.”
The group that Kranson takes into the season includes many veterans from a team that was 9-2-1 in the division and 15-3-2 overall. Wyoming Area finished a half-game out of first place in the division and was knocked off by Scranton Prep in the semifinals of the district tournament that Lake-Lehman eventually won.
The Lady Warriors return eight starters.
“What I’m excited about is that all these kids are workers,” Kranson said. “They want to be there. They want to work hard. They want to earn playing time.
“I have seven freshmen that have been added to the mix and this is a competitive group. These freshmen are pushing the upperclassmen. It’s really exciting to see the competition play out at practice.”
Senior Abby Francis returns for her third year starting in goal.
“She’s put the work in and it’s paying off for her,” Kranson said.
The Lady Warriors return three of their four starting defenders — senior Sarah Mizenko, junior Bella Costa and sophomore Jailynn Park.
Alexis Skillonger, a junior who saw playing time last season, could be added to the defense.
Ava Musinki, the team’s leading scorer last season as a freshman, returns at midfield.
“She’s going to be a focal point of the team in terms of her offense,” Kranson said. “The goal is to utilize her to get other kids involved to make the whole group better.
“Other schools are going to be focused on her, trying to stop her, but she’s a playmaker.”
Alana Zdaniewicz, a junior who saw a lot of playing time last season, is another midfielder. Senior Sofia Menta could be at midfield or defense.
Junior Julianne Potter and sophomore Francesca Pizano return as strikers.
Midfielders Kinley Park and Teagan Meier, defender Mia Ciampi and forward Ellia Yankovich are part of the strong group of freshmen who could be factors this season.
Wyoming Area opens the season Saturday at home against Hanover Area. The Lady Warriors being WVC play at home Sept. 3 against Holy Redeemer, which shared first place at 10-2 last season, but lost to Lake-Lehman in a playoff for the title.
Tunkhannock has dropped its program during the preseason, leading Wyoming Area with two spots to fill on the schedule.
