Depth helps Marion get a spot in Class 2A girls’ soccer Top 10

MARION — Marion senior Ashlen Hall has been patiently waiting for this opportunity.

Hall, starting goalkeeper for the Class 2A No. 9-rated Wolves (9-2), is finally getting her chance to shine on the field in the twilight of her high school soccer career.

She’s making the most of it.

“This season is very bittersweet for me because we lost out on our freshman year (COVID),” Hall said. “And then my sophomore year, too, I didn't get to play because I had an ACL and meniscus injury. So, I’ve basically only gotten two seasons.

“It’s been great this year being able to play alongside a bunch of my best friends and the most supportive girls I know. Playing soccer has been so fun and I’m not ready for it to end.”

Hall ranks fifth in 2A in save percentage at 90.6 (minimum 25 saves) and has allowed just eight goals this season.

“Ashlen is a born leader,” Marion Coach Erik Trilk said. “Her sophomore year (unable to play due to injury), she was there every single day, helping with the goalkeepers, cheering kids on, standing out in the miserable weather and the rain and all that stuff. And then last year, she split time with a senior and so she only got about 40 percent of the games, but she knew that all of that was preparing her for this year.

“She's a very exemplary Marion Wolf.”

Hall is one of 15 Marion seniors out for soccer this season. One of the goals for this senior class is reaching the state tournament for the first time in program history.

“That first state berth would be pretty impressive,” Trilk said. “And something that these seniors have really talked about all year.”

Of course, it’s not just the seniors who have that goal in mind.

“I think we all really, really want to make it state, so we're all going to put our best effort toward it,” freshman Maggie Utsinger said. “We're just all going to try our best to be the first state qualifier from Marion.”

With the depth of talent of the Wolves’ roster, they certainly have a shot to do it.

“This is my 18th year coaching in the Wamac, and I think this is the deepest bench I've ever had,” Trilk said. “We feel like this is as well-balanced of a team as we've had maybe since my assistant coach Erica Kelly was playing for me, which would have been about seven years ago.”

The Wolves began the season 9-0 before dropping a 1-0 contest to 1A 10th-ranked Center Point-Urbana on May 4.

“I think getting the first loss off of our chest kind of helped ease the pressure,” Hall said. “We've been pretty good with handling things under pressure. And obviously, postseason play can be a little bit stressful because you want to extend your season as far as possible. So, being able to kind of keep our composure will really help us.”

“You don't want to take a team into the postseason that hasn't faced any kind of adversity, because you don't really know how they'll react once they do,” Trilk said. “This team has shown that they battle back.”

The Wolves will face Union Community on Friday and host Monticello in their regular-season finale for Senior Night on May 15 before entering regional competition.

“There's been so much growth and I think that will really help us in the postseason,” Hall said. “I think we're very eager to continue playing together. We don't want to let the season go quite yet.”