What makes Asheville High girls soccer so good? They 'really root for each other'
Last season, Asheville High girls soccer landed five players on the All-WNC team after a stellar season in which it finished 21-2-1.
The Cougars were dominant, allowing the same number of goals (10) as they had mercy-rule 9-0 victories.
As the No. 4 seed, Asheville was upset in the postseason by No. 12 Northwest Guilford. Thankfully for the Cougars, however, nearly all of its production – including all five All-WNC selections – returned for the 2024 season.
With a strong roster returning, the Cougars have been just as solid this season. They are in position to win a third conference title in four years.
“The chemistry is pretty special,” coach Mike Flowe said. “We’ve had great chemistry for several years in a row now. These girls really get along and they really root for each other.”
The Cougars have filled their roster with a mix of youth and senior leadership. Up front, senior Lily Foo plays alongside sophomore Peyton Case. Seniors Evie Bick and Jesse Smith make up the defense in front of goalkeeper Ellie Wiegand-Reavis, a freshman. Even as a sophomore, defender Caroline Dew provides experienced leadership for Asheville.
“They’re all very strong players and we all really mesh well,” Foo said. “It’s not really a case of upperclassmen teaching lowerclassmen as it is a bunch of good players coming together.”
Foo and Case have been an especially strong case of good players coming together. Foo has 16 goals this season to Case’s 13, a year after they totaled 26 and 25, respectively. Foo credited their finishing ability to how they’re able to find each other with through balls on runs towards the goal.
“We really trust in each other’s abilities,” Foo said. “I really find it really easy to play with Peyton.”
Flowe called Foo tenacious on the field, with a desire to score every time she touches the ball. While she’s left-footed, Flowe said she’s not afraid to use her right foot to find the back of the net.
Alongside Case, the Cougars’ attacking duo has been strong for two seasons.
The senior class has led by example all season, Flowe said. Whether its playing through injuries or being on the field every day, that group has piloted Asheville’s season.
Asheville hasn't been quite as strong as last year – only four mercy rule wins and 15 goals allowed – but it has been doing it all without two of its best players in sophomore defender Naomi Miguelez, an All-WNC second team selection as a freshman, and junior midfielder Ellie Rainey, the team’s third-leading scorer from a year ago.
While it’s been a blow to Asheville’s depth all season – Miguelez suffered a torn ACL in the team’s first exhibition game – it has found replacement players to help fill the gaps. Those players have more than done the job.
“The girls have done a great job stepping up for (Miguelez),” Flowe said. “We could be even deeper with a little luck.”
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The Cougars are a tightknit bunch, as close off the field as they are on it. Most of them have played together for years thanks to club soccer. They get loose in the locker room, the seniors give speeches and they follow a strict set of traditions, like how they walk to the field at home games.
“We all really just love playing with each other,” Dew said. “We have a super competitive team, but we also do everything as a team.”
Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: WNC girls soccer: What makes Asheville High so good every year?
