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Ohio's best: The top 23 high school girls soccer players in 2023

USA TODAY Network Ohio
·8 min read

The state of Ohio continues to produce high-quality high school girls soccer players who will put their talents on display this fall.

As a preview to this season, the high school sports staff of the USA Today Network Ohio's 21 newspapers and websites compiled a who's who in the Buckeye State. The staff chose athletes, no matter the high school division, receiving interest from or committing to higher Division I collegiate programs.

This is the third in a four-part series that will include the sports of football, volleyball and boys soccer in the coming weeks.

Football: The top 23 Ohio high school football players in 2023

Volleyball: The top 23 Ohio high school volleyball players in 2023

Here are the best girls soccer players in the state of Ohio.

Waynesville forward Samantha Erbach has been voted the top girls soccer player in the state in 2023 by USA TODAY Network Ohio's writers.
Waynesville forward Samantha Erbach has been voted the top girls soccer player in the state in 2023 by USA TODAY Network Ohio's writers.

1. Samantha Erbach, Waynesville

The Xavier University commit helped Waynesville close 2022 as Division II state runner-up, losing to Copley in the final. Erbach, a forward, helped lead Waynesville to a near-perfect season at 22-1. Erbach scored 43 goals and dished out 19 assists, leading the Southwestern Buckeye League in points with 105. Erbach earned first-team All-Ohio and was a United Soccer Coaches All-American last fall.

2. Lauryn Contini, New Philadelphia

Contini scored 55 goals last season with eight assists. Contini and New Philadelphia reached a Division II regional final in 2022, losing to Marietta. The Louisville committed midfielder was named first-team All-Ohio in 2022.

Lauryn Contini of New Philadelphia has been named one of the top 23 girls soccer players in the state heading into the 2023 season.
Lauryn Contini of New Philadelphia has been named one of the top 23 girls soccer players in the state heading into the 2023 season.

3. Tessa Knapp, Bay Village Bay

Knapp scored 50 goals in her sophomore season to earn first-team All-Ohio in Division II. Knapp and Bay lost in the state semifinals to eventual champion Copley. Knapp already has 90 career goals through two years, and recently competed with the United States U16 team in April, scoring and assisting in a tournament.

4. Katie Cummings, Miamisburg

A senior forward who collected first-team All-Ohio honors in Division I, Cummings and Miamisburg went 5-0-2 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference, tying Centerville for the title. Cummings led the league in goals with 30 and finished third in assists with 13. She was the overall offensive points leader in the conference with 73.

5. Ana Manning, Milford

The All-Ohio first-team player scored 29 goals with 10 assists last season as Milford went 19-2 and made the Division I regional semifinals. A forward, Manning is committed to Eastern Kentucky University.

Ana Manning, back, returns for Milford as one of the top soccer players in the state in 2023.
Ana Manning, back, returns for Milford as one of the top soccer players in the state in 2023.

6. Sydney Hardesty, Cincinnati Country Day

The senior, whose club team is Cincinnati United, anchored the back line for the Nighthawks as they won the Division III state championship. Country Day posted 18 shutouts, including all seven postseason games, and allowed only 10 goals on the season. Hardesty earned first-team All-Miami Valley Conference and is committed to the University of Toledo.

Cincinnati Country Day player Sydney Hardesty (19) heads the ball during their tournament game against Lynchburg-Clay Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Cincinnati Country Day player Sydney Hardesty (19) heads the ball during their tournament game against Lynchburg-Clay Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

7. Aerial Fast, St. Marys Memorial

A first-team All-Ohio honoree in Division II last year, Fast scored 32 goals and made 18 assists for a Roughriders team that finished second in the Western Buckeye League (7-1-1) then advanced to a Division II regional final, where it lost to eventual state champion Copley. The senior forward was also a district Player of the Year last season.

8. Lexi O’Shea, Seton

As a sophomore, O’Shea was third behind teammates Kenzie Carle and Millie Cluxton with 37 points in the Girls Greater Catholic League. In the postseason, however, O’Shea had the game-winning goal against Mount Notre Dame in the regional finals and had another game-winning goal in the state semifinals against Olentangy Orange.

Seton's Lexi O'Shea (15), playing in the state championship in 2022, returns as one of the top soccer players in the state in 2023.
Seton's Lexi O'Shea (15), playing in the state championship in 2022, returns as one of the top soccer players in the state in 2023.

9. Millie Cluxton, Seton

The senior midfielder was a second-team All-Ohio selection for the Division I state champion Saints. She tied her teammate, Kenzie Carle, at the top of the conference with 40 points in a season with 13 goals and 14 assists in 2022. She was first-team All-Girls Greater Catholic League and has committed to the University of Charleston.

Seton's Millie Cluxton has been chosen as one of the top girls soccer players in the state in 2023.
Seton's Millie Cluxton has been chosen as one of the top girls soccer players in the state in 2023.

10. Allie Lammers, Mount Notre Dame

The senior keeper and Division I recruit missed most of last season, playing only five games. The year before, Lammers led the Cougars to the Division I state championship with 11 shutouts while only allowing six goals in 16 games played. Lammers was also named to Prep Soccer’s All-American Goalkeeper Watch List.

MND's Allie Lammers, a state-champion goalkeeper shown getting a stop against Seton in 2021, returns to the Cougars after missing time in 2022.
MND's Allie Lammers, a state-champion goalkeeper shown getting a stop against Seton in 2021, returns to the Cougars after missing time in 2022.

11. Kenzie Carle, Seton

A junior last year, Carle tied her teammate, Millie Cluxton, in the Girls Greater Catholic League in points with 40. Carle scored 14 goals with 12 assists in 22 games played for the Division I state champion Saints. She was first-team All-GGCL and will play at Bellarmine.

Seton forward Kenzie Carle, left, returns as one of the top players in the state after being a key contributor in the Saints winning a Division I state title in 2022.
Seton forward Kenzie Carle, left, returns as one of the top players in the state after being a key contributor in the Saints winning a Division I state title in 2022.

12. Hannah Pachan, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit

A part of the 2022 regional finalist Walsh Jesuit squad, Pachan earned first-team All-Ohio in Division I last season. Pachan was one of three sophomores to earn first-team All-Ohio honors in Division I. PrepSoccer Ohio rates Pachan as the No. 3 player in the class of 2025.

Walsh Jesuit's Hannah Pachan has been named one of the top players in the state in 2023.
Walsh Jesuit's Hannah Pachan has been named one of the top players in the state in 2023.

13. Allie Metcalf, New Albany

Metcalf and New Albany were regional semifinalists in 2022 as Metcalf earned first-team All-Ohio honors in Division I. Metcalf, a midfielder who had 22 goals and nine assists last season, helped establish New Albany as a powerhouse that has consistently competed for conference, district and regional championships during her tenure.

New Albany senior midfielder Allie Metcalf, right, was first-team all-state last season.
New Albany senior midfielder Allie Metcalf, right, was first-team all-state last season.

14. Megan Zimmerman, Cincinnati Country Day

The clutch senior had 10 goals and 20 assists for state champion Cincinnati Country Day with her running header sending the Nighthawks to the state tournament. In the state final, Zimmerman scored the lone goal against Ottawa-Glandorf. She was a first-team All-Miami Valley Conference selection. She plays for Cincinnati United Premier soccer club.

15. Ava Labocki, Granville

Labocki and Granville fell in the regional semifinals of the 2022 postseason, losing 5-1 to eventual state runner-up Waynesville. Labocki earned first-team All- Ohio honors in Division II, scoring 24 goals and assisting on 12 over the course of the season.

Granville's Ava Labocki, left, has been voted one of the top players in the state by USA TODAY Network Ohio.
Granville's Ava Labocki, left, has been voted one of the top players in the state by USA TODAY Network Ohio.

16. Taylor Kuhn, Warren Champion

A first-team All-Ohio honoree in Division III last year, Kuhn scored 30 goals and provided 17 assists as a junior in 2022. Kuhn helped lead Champion to a 13-3-2 record, as Champion fell to Cortland Lakeview in the district semifinals.

17. Sydnee Maxwell, Bishop Rosecrans

Maxwell was one of three first-team All-Ohio Division III sophomores. The midfielder/defender helped lead Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans to a 12-7 record last season. Maxwell scored 30 goals and dished out eight assists across the duration of the 2022 season, as she was a National Soccer Coaches Association All-Region member and the East District Player of the Year. Maxwell has tallied 54 goals in two seasons and helped her club squad, Ohio Premier, qualify for the national playoffs.

18. Hattie Yugovich, Ontario

The lone freshman to earn a first-team All-Ohio spot across all divisions, Yugovich scored 38 goals and dished out 25 assists in 2022. Yugovich earned District Player of the Year as a freshman as Ontario reached the district finals. Ontario won seven games by double digits, including a tournament game against Tiffin Columbian.

19. Presley Pennekamp, Oak Hills

A junior who made the Division I All-Ohio first team as a sophomore, Pennekamp and Oak Hills went 13-5-1 in 2022. Oak Hills split the Greater Miami Conference title while Pennekamp led the conference with 19 goals and was second with 10 assists. The forward was the GMC Player of the Year.

Oak Hills' Presley Pennekamp, right, has been voted one of the top girls soccer players in the state by USA TODAY Network Ohio.
Oak Hills' Presley Pennekamp, right, has been voted one of the top girls soccer players in the state by USA TODAY Network Ohio.

20. Sophia Sindelar, Rocky River

Sindelar was one of a trio of sophomores who earned first-team All-Ohio in Division I last season. The forward netted a total of 31 goals while tacking on seven assists.

21. Makenna Siefker, Ottawa-Glandorf

A first-team All-Ohio pick for Division III, Siefker tallied 21 goals and seven assists as a sophomore forward in 2022. Siefker and Ottawa-Glandorf fell in the Division III state championship game to Cincinnati Country Day. Siefker was named an All-American while earning both conference and district Player of the Year honors.

22. Taylor Duff, Dublin Coffman

Duff and Coffman posted a strong 13-3-4 campaign in 2022, losing in a Division I district final to New Albany. Duff, a senior midfielder, helped Coffman score 50 goals while allowing just 15 goals. She netted second-team All-Ohio honors and helped the Shamrocks finish second in the OCC-Central, behind Olentangy Orange.

Dublin Coffman’s Taylor Duff, right, and New Albany’s Allie Metcalf go for the ball during a game last season.
Dublin Coffman’s Taylor Duff, right, and New Albany’s Allie Metcalf go for the ball during a game last season.

23. Reagan Ross, Olentangy

A senior forward and Belmont commit, Ross had 15 goals and 12 assists during the 2022 season. Olentangy went 13-4-4, bowing out of the tournament with a Division I district championship game loss to Olentangy Orange. Ross earned first-team All-Ohio honors.

Olentangy's Reagan Ross
Olentangy's Reagan Ross

Others receiving votes

Myka Aldrich, Ottawa-Glandorf; Ella Chapman, Athens; Sadie Dale, Ottawa Hills; Sofia Divine, Worthington Christian; Eva Dexter, Sidney Lehman Catholic; Megan Holler, West Liberty-Salem; Zoey Koch, Wyoming; Brooklyn Larrymore, Centerville; Ali Mathis, Chillicothe; Katie Norris, Manchester; Ava Patti, Rocky River; Olivia Schrimpf, Kettering Alter; Natalie Smith, Grandview Heights; Aubrianna Thomas, Beloit West Branch; Maci Toporcer, Canfield; Ava Yannucci, Warren Howland.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio high school girls soccer: The best players in 2023