Girls soccer preview: Realignment creates ‘tougher’ 5A title race

The realignment process for high school girls soccer reduced the size of the Class 5A Southern League from 14 teams to 10.

While the amount of teams has decreased — along with all Northern teams dropping to 4A — the strength of the league has only risen, Coronado coach Dana Neel said.

“We know that it’s going to be a battle the whole season,” Neel said. “Every team is strong, and any team can put something together on any given day. We’re not banking on any easy games.”

The girls soccer season begins Thursday. While most teams in Southern Nevada will open the new season next week, three of the top teams — Bishop Gorman, Coronado and Faith Lutheran — will get an early look at each other at the Battle for Nevada tournament Friday at Douglas High School in Minden.

“You’ll have to really keep your focus, and it’s going to make all of us a little sharper once we get to the playoffs,” Gorman coach Doug Borgel said.

Coronado and Faith Lutheran have played each other in the last three state title games, with the Cougars winning in 2021 and the Crusaders taking the title in 2019 and last season.

The teams put on a trio of 1-0 thrillers last season. Faith Lutheran won the lone regular-season meeting, but Coronado won in overtime to win the Southern Region title. The state title game went in the Crusaders’ favor in overtime at Coronado.

Coronado and Faith Lutheran are again two of the title favorites, and they play Sept. 13 at Coronado and Oct. 19 at Faith Lutheran.

After winning state titles in 2017 and 2018, Gorman has suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the Southern Region playoffs the past two seasons. With a junior- and senior-heavy lineup — led by senior forward Hunter Borgel, who won the 5A golden boot award last season — Borgel expects the Gaels to compete for the state title.

“That’s going to help us out in the long run because I think we’re way ahead of a lot of teams at this point in the season,” Borgel said. “….We’ll lean on our experience with a lot of older kids that have been in the program for a couple of years. We expect big things.”

Borgel said Palo Verde and Arbor View will be other teams to watch this season. Neel said a wild-card team like Liberty could make a run, but said “it’s anybody’s game.”

The Cougars’ roster features 11 seniors who helped them reach the state title game the last two seasons. Forward Sierah McCallum scored 16 goals last season, and Neel said she expects McCallum to get better this season “with the strength that we have in other areas.”

Neel said goalkeeper Megan Kingman and defender Kerrigan Lynam will be two other key seniors on this year’s team.

With a group that has made runs to the state title games the last two seasons, Neel is hopeful that experience will help the Cougars through the rigors of league play.

“It definitely teaches you some lessons,” Neel said. “You get put in different scenarios, and you have to do all the right things at the right times. That has taught my senior class to stay sharp at all times.”

Faith Lutheran graduated several key members from last season’s title team. Seniors Andrea Leyva, a midfielder, and Lindley Amick, a defender, will be two of the top returners for the Crusaders and second-year coach McKenzie Karas.

After winning the last two 4A state titles, Cimarron-Memorial is one of two teams — along with Bonanza — making the jump to 5A. Bob Chinn, who led Faith Lutheran to the 4A title in 2019, takes over at Cimarron-Memorial.

Chinn was an assistant with the Spartans last season, and said this year’s group will be a “totally different team.” He said everybody in 5A playing each other twice in the regular season makes the league even “tougher.”

“It isn’t like you can say, ‘We can breathe for this game,’” Chinn said. “Each game is going to be one that will test you mentally and really see what you are made of as a program. That’s where it’s going to be a longer season from that aspect of it.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.