Fresh off back-to-back Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title, the Crestwood Red Devils aren’t in any hurry to relinquish their control of the conference.
The Red Devils return seven starters and three others with varsity experience from last year’s team that finished 9-6-1 overall and 4-0 in league play.
“This team has the potential to three-peat the CVC championship of the Valley Division and potential to win 10-plus games and a playoff game,” said third-year head coach Eric Sway, who doubles as Crestwood’s boys’ coach. “We lost senior captain and starter Delaney McMahon to a torn ACL, and she will be impossible to replace, so we will fill in her spot by committee and see who wins the minutes. We also have a hole at a wing spot that we’re trying to fill. With a roster of only 14, we have little margin for error to be competitive again this season.”
The good news for the Red Devils is they are battle-tested and have plenty of experience.
“We have eight seniors and seven that will play 80 minutes a game,” Sway said. “The team will have to play this season day by day and not look forward more than a day or two.”
Senior midfielder Erin Hallis, one of the team’s captains, returns in the midfield after being named the CVC Valley Division Player of the Year in 2023. Hallis scored 22 goals with six assists.
“Erin is versatile, smart, strong, and skilled and the team leader,” Sway said. “Erin can have another eye-opening season if all goes according to plan with three other weapons playing in front of her.”
Those weapons include senior captains Ava Julian and Alyssa Hallis and senior Taylor Larch.
Julian, a forward, scored 18 goals with 10 assists last season. Alyssa Hallis, a midfielder, is moving from center back to the midfield, and Larch is a midfielder who scored 14 goals with six assists last season.
“Ava is poised to have her best season ever statistically with what the team has surrounded her with,” Sway said. “Taylor can be the most forgotten great player on an offense that returns a lot of experience, depth, and firepower. If teams forget about her, she can drop several goals and assists in every single game. She’s fast, tall, and talented. Alyssa is being moved from starting center back to starting in the midfield and playing off of her twin sister Erin in the midfield. Alyssa is the most aggressive and one of our fastest, strongest, and skilled players. Adding her into an already deep and powerful midfield, I believe we will see Alyssa’s name appear game in and game out.”
Crestwood returns two starters on defense as seniors Lilly Stoots and Dakota Rennecker will anchor the back line.
“With great size, strength, and soccer IQ, we are dropping Lilly from center defensive mid to center back. Lilly will be an anchor of a defense that returns three senior starters that garners experience and strength in a backfield that allows very few shots on goal,” Sway said. “Dakota will be the other center back anchor with Lilly Stoots. Dakota offers strength, size, skill, and experience to this back unit of seniors. Dakota is extremely hard to beat and working in tandem this will be a strength of ours.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Alanna O’Bryant also returns to the starting lineup.
“Alanna became the starting keeper mid-season last year and gained confidence in her abilities as the starting keeper,” Sway said. “A former football player, Alanna is strong, long, and athletic, and will be leaned upon greatly to make the hard saves along with the easy ones.”
