Mahomet-Seymour girls' soccer vying for another regional title
May 11—MAHOMET — Making it through to the sectional semifinal stage of the postseason is a common occurrence for the Mahomet-Seymour girls' soccer team.
The Bulldogs have done so eight different times in the last decade, winning seven Class 2A regional championships since the 2014 season.
If coach Jeremy Davis' team can pick up two victories next week, that'll make for eight regional titles in the last decade. And if this current group of Bulldogs can advance to the Pleasant Plains Sectional on May 21, well, consider Davis impressed.
"Over 15 seasons of coaching," Davis said, "I can't think of another team I've coached that has had this many injuries."
M-S (9-5-3) carries a No. 1 seed going into Tuesday's regional semifinal match against seventh-seeded Meridian, but the Bulldogs lost to Normal Community and Morton earlier this week after clinching an Apollo Conference regular-season title in late April.
"The girls have done a great job embracing new positions and new linemates," Davis said. "We have tried some stuff this week against some really good opponents in Normal Community and Morton, and have continued to progress. The plan is always to challenge the girls to get them to develop in order to prepare for the postseason. We did that with the schedule this year by playing the hardest schedule we've ever had."
Seniors Nadia Biegler and Maggie Moore, along with sophomore Paislee Welge, are a trio of options Davis and the Bulldogs rely heavily on.
"Nadia is our senior leader of the team," Davis said. "She's been a four-year starter for us in the midfield and is a major asset in organizing the team. Maggie came back out as a senior after focusing on hockey, and she has had some huge games in goal. Paislee Welge was our leading scorer last year as a freshman, but working with her on her long-term goals of playing in college and the needs of the team, she has shifted to being our center back this year. She is fast, physical, and extremely skilled on the ball."
Fourth-seeded Lincoln plays fifth-seeded Mt. Zion on Wednesday in the other regional semifinal match in Mahomet, with the regional championship match set for 11 a.m. next Saturday. Davis and the Bulldogs would like nothing more than to add another accomplishment on a season that has tested the program in more ways than one.
"It would be a great program win," Davis said. "One of our themes this year is about selflessness: for each girl to be lesser while making the team greater. With all the moving pieces and girls constantly getting called up, this has been one of the best team atmospheres I've been a part of, and I'm excited to see what the girls do this postseason."
