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Iowa high school girls’ soccer 2023: Gazette area players and teams to watch
A young Independence team looks to keep making strides

Mar. 27, 2023 7:00 pm
Here are some of the top Gazette area players and teams to watch entering the 2023 Iowa high school girls’ soccer season.
Players to watch
Emily Bowe, soph., Center Point-Urbana — Class 1A first-team all-state forward led a state tournament team with 26 goals in her first season.
Rilyn Breinholt, soph., Iowa City Liberty — Led the Lightning with 10 assists and scored 11 goals in her first season. Class 2A second-team all-state.
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Claire Brown, sr., Iowa City High — City High’s first state medalist in girls’ wrestling has also led the Little Hawks in goals each of the last two years, scoring 18 last spring. Second-team all-state honoree signed to play soccer at Western Illinois.
Madison Daily, sr., Center Point-Urbana — Class 1A first-team all-state defender for a state tournament team that allowed more than one goal in a game only twice, and never more than two.
Grace Gaarde, sr., Iowa City Regina — First-team Class 1A all-stater scored 29 goals each of the last two seasons.
Maya Marquardt, jr., Iowa City Liberty — Second-team all-state defender in Class 2A last spring.
Easten Miller, jr., Independence — Last year’s Wamac West Player of the Year scored 36 goals and contributed 13 assists for a team that reached the Class 2A regional finals.
Janelle Minor, sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy — Second-team all-state and first-team All-MVC pick led the Cougars with 20 goals and added 10 assists last season. Western Illinois signee.
Reegan Hess, sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie — First-team All-MVC honoree scored a team-high 10 goals last spring. Committed to NCAA D-II Quincy (Ill.) University.
Abi Roberts, soph., Linn-Mar — The top returning scorer for a perennial MVC power, she scored 18 times and distributed 13 assists in her first season and was named second-team all-state in 3A.
Cassie White, sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy — First-team All-MVC selection led the Cougars with 12 assists and scored 17 goals last spring. Western Illinois signee.
Teams to watch
Center Point-Urbana — Three all-state picks return from a team that took off in mid-April last spring, winning 12 out of 13 games before running into top-seeded Davenport Assumption in the Class 1A state tournament.
Independence — With eight freshmen in the starting 11 last year, the Mustangs went 14-3, won the Wamac West title and advanced to the Class 2A regional finals. Among the now-sophomore class are first-team all-conference honorees Addison Lange (team-high 20 assists), Arabella Louvar and Marcelina Weber.
Iowa City High — Only three seniors started last year for a team that won eight straight late, including a 6-1 regional semifinal win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy, before running into fourth-ranked Waukee Northwest.
Linn-Mar — The Lions were undefeated against Iowa teams with a 111-9 scoring margin before losing by a goal in the Class 3A regional finals. First-team All-MVC selections Emma and McKenna Friedman are among the numerous returning starters.
Solon — Almost everyone is back from a 16-4 team that reached the Class 1A regional finals. Second-team all-state forward Morgan Link had 23 goals and eight assists last season.
Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com
Cedar Rapids Prairie's Reegen Hess runs to take control of the ball during a girls’ soccer jamboree at Kingston Stadium on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Solon sophomore Gabby Knipper tries to dribble past Independence sophomore Easten Miller during a game last season. (Amir Prellberg/Freelance)