Four Women’s Soccer Players are All-GVC, Sophomores Leave Their Mark

Coach Ed Kephart expects many of the sophomores who helped the Eagle women's soccer team reach the state playoffs two years in a row to continue playing at four-year schools.

The 2025 Eagles did too little scoring too late in a 3-2 first round playoff loss to Butte at Chico State University on Nov. 19. After falling behind 3-0, Kephart said they got fired up and scored twice in the final 10 minutes.

Two days later, Kephart was making a recruiting trip to Sacramento as part of the coaching staff's efforts to replace 12 sophomores who helped the Eagles post their first two winning seasons since the COS soccer program started in 2017.

Two sophomores and two freshmen ended the season taking home 2025 All-Golden Valley Conference awards.

Sophomore forward Jonell Alderson, the team's leading scorer, and freshman defender Hailey Walton made 1st Team All-GVC.

Freshman midfielder Jaclynn Wolf, the team's second-leading scorer, and sophomore midfielder Katie Effa made 2nd Team All-GVC.

Kephart said all four were very deserving after helping the Eagles finished with a 10-8-1 overall record (5-4-1 in conference).

They had a chance to advance in the playoffs while facing a Butte team they tied 1-1 in the final regular season game. Butte and Lake Tahoe tied for first place in conference, and Tahoe got a first round playoff bye. But Butte's postseason win over the Eagles ended up being the GVC's only victory in the NorCal Regionals.

Feather River lost in the first round to San Joaquin Delta, while Butte and Tahoe both lost in the second round. Butte lost to Fresno City, 5-1. Tahoe lost to Evergreen Valley, 2-0. The top two seeds in the NorCal bracket, Folsom Lake and Sierra, won their way to the State Championships on Dec. 5 and 7 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

Kephart said playing at Chico State was a "nice experience" for the Eagles, who got a feel for what it's like at the next level. The 3-2 playoff loss was only the fourth time all season the Eagles gave up as many as 3 goals in a game, and they only allowed more than 3 once.

The sophomores ended their Eagle careers with a combined 23-12-4 record.

Jonell Alderson led this year's offense in the center of the field. She was the player opposing teams had to focus on, Kephart said. She scored 9 goals, had 3 assists, and led the team with 21 points.

Kephart said Hailey Walton's move to defense was one of the keys to helping the Eagles shut down the better teams in conference, including a conference win over Feather River, the season-ending tie against Butte, and a 3-0 loss to Tahoe after a previous 8-0 loss to Tahoe.

Jaclynn Wolf also changed positions, moving to midfield and helping the lineup become "stronger all-around," according to Kephart. She scored 8 goals, had 3 assists and finished second on the team with 19 points, while Hailey scored 5 goals, had 3 assists and tied sophomore forward Brooklynn Wade for third on the team with 13 points.

Katie Effa was a consistent force in the middle for the Eagles the past two seasons and scored two goals on headers, including the team's only goal in their 1-1 tie against Butte.

Brooklynn dealt with a leg injury this year after her stellar freshman season that included scoring 32 goals and winning the GVC Attacking Player of the Year award. She added to her school record with 6 goals this season.

Other sophomore starters who played a large role in the Eagles' success the past two years were goalie Avery Suhr, last year's GVC Goalkeeper of the Year, midfielder Corynn Lemos, a 2nd Team All-GVC pick last year, midfielder Meadow Cummings, defender Harrisen Poe, and defender turned forward Maiyah McDonald. Sophomore midfielder Cheyenne Thompson played in every game this season, and Izabella Ault played in most of them, despite dealing with injuries.

The Eagles will also have to replace backup goalkeeper Oceanna Knight, sophomore defender Marissa Whitt, and freshman midfielder Taya Martinelli. Kephart said they knew Taya was only here for one season, and she made it a good one, scoring 4 goals and leading the team with 4 assists.

Another freshman who excelled this season was forward Sam Gish, who finished with 5 goals after playing basketball for the Eagles last year.

By Steve Gerace