GIRLS SOCCER CAPSULES

Teams are listed in predicted order of finish.

1. Berwick

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 9-3-1, 3rd Div. 1

Spring 2012 postseason: Won District 2 championship; Lost to Mechanicsburg 3-2 in first round of PIAAs

Classification: 2A

Coach: Paul DiPippa

Home field: Crispin Field/Salem Elementary Field

Players to watch: Seniors– Caty Davenport, F; Karleigh Hartman, F; Alex Lorson, FB; Bridget Orlando, D; Kelly Sheptock, D; Brianna Floryshak, F.

Outlook: The two-time defending District 2 champions return with a full arsenal of talent. Eight starters from last year's squad suit up for the Bulldogs – including All-WVC selections Davenport (13 g, 4 a), Orlando and Sheptock on defense. Hartman (6 g, 3 a) adds depth to the Bulldogs' offense, and Floryshak will again be a playmaker. A tough non-conference schedule hopes to groom the Bulldogs for another postseason run.

2. Dallas

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 11-2, 1st Div. 1

Spring 2012 postseason: Lost to Berwick 2-1 in district final

Classification: 2A

Coach: Abe Lewis

Home field: High School, Michael Cleary Field

Players to watch: Senior – Ashley Dunbar, F; Sophomores – Talia Szatkowski, D, Ashley Strazdus, MF

Outlook: High expectations continue for the Mountaineers after winning the WVC Division 1 last season. Dunbar (21 g, 18 a) may be the conference's most prolific scorer and will be the target for opposing defenses. Szatkowski came through in the clutch for the Mountaineer defense last postseason. Dallas will struggle to fill the void by WVC all-star goalkeeper Amber Yang, who suffered an injury in last year's game against Crestwood.

3. Coughlin

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 10-2-1, 2nd Div. 1

Spring 2012 postseason: Lost to Berwick 2-0 in district semis

Classification: 2A

Coach: Joe Spagnuolo

Home field: Solomon Plains Junior High School

Players to watch: Seniors – Melanie Sweeny, F; Spoorthy Challa, F; Yesenia Canteran, F; Juniors – Nora Fazzi, MF; Kaitlyn Pearage, MF; Stephanie Yankoski, FB; Jasmine Berrato, GK; Sophomores – Megan Lercara, F; Amanda Collerhan, F;

Outlook: The Crusaders were again hit fairly hard by graduation, but should be a contender with an exemplary midfield. Times Leader All-WVC midfielder Fazzi (3 g, 12 a) has the speed and agility to manufacture goals. The loss of Ivy Nulton to graduation forces the Crusaders to look to new faces if they are going to overtake Berwick and Dallas. Coughlin boasts a solid group of freshmen that it will rely on often throughout the season.

4. Lake-Lehman

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 10-3, 1st Div. 2

Spring 2012 postseason: Lost to Dallas 2-1 in district semis

Classification: 2A

Home field: Football stadium

Coach: Kelly Adamshick

Players to watch: Seniors – Karen Yamerick, FB; Katie Heindel, SWP; Juniors – Emily Sutton, MF; Kaylee Hillard, MF; Shoshana Mahoney, F; Sophomore: Aleaha Blazick, F

Outlook: The two-time Division 2 champions will face stiffer competition this season. The Black Knights return their top two-scoring options from a year ago in all-WVC selection Mahoney (23 g, 2 a) and second-teamer Sutton (7 g, 10 a). Lake-Lehman is strong in the midfield, and will expect better defensive output if it wants to jump into the top five in the standings. The Black Knights showed they could compete with the former Division 1 powers in their 3-0 victory over Crestwood in the first round of the District 2 playoffs.

5. Pittston Area

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 10-3, 1st Div. 3

Spring 2012 postseason: Lost to Dallas 7-2 in district first round

Classification: 2A

Coach: Nicole Tieso

Home field: Primary Center, Rock St., Hughestown

Players to watch: Senior – Jordan Cumbo, GK; Sophomores – Allie Barber, F/MF; Madison Cardinale, MF; Carly Filipski, MF; Katelyn Pugliese, D/MF; Megan Karuzie, D

Outlook: The Patriots are looking to continue where they left off last year when it pinched a 7-0 victory over North Pocono in the district play-in game. Pittston Area features good talent from both the offense and defense. Leading WVC goal scorer Barber (36 g) returns for her sophomore season and leads a young Patriot squad.

6. Crestwood

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 8-5, 3rd Div. 1

Spring 2012 postseason: Lost to Lake-Lehman 3-0 in district first round

Classification: 2A

Coach: Russ Kile

Home field: Football stadium

Players to watch: Seniors – Emily Orrson, F/M; Hanna Sulkowski, M/F; Jordan Mera, D; Juniors – Autumn Atkinson, D; Meg White, GK; Allie Kachel, D; Freshmen – Bree Fetterman, F/M; Amy Loveless, M

Outlook: Injuries and field hockey leave Comets team that finished third in Division 1 last season without three all-WVC selections. Crestwood will be without Gabby and Olivia Termini due to season-ending knee injuries, and Morgan Kile will divide her time between field hockey and soccer. Look for freshmen Fetterman and Loveless to create a name for themselves.

7. Holy Redeemer

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 3-10, 5th Div. 3

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 2A

Coach: Bob Hughes

Home field: Eddie White Field, Parsons, Wilkes-Barre

Players to watch: Junior – Nina Paolini, D; Sophomores – Emily Schramm, MF; Olivia Gregorio, F; Freshman – Lydia Wasson, F

Outlook: Losing most of its offensive production from the spring, Redeemer is an extremely young team looking for team chemistry. With just five upperclassmen, the Royals are looking for a nine-to-10 win season. Redeemer has strength in its midfield with Schramm (3 g, 6 a) and will look to Gregorio (2 g) for offense. We'll get to see how talented the Royals are by mid-season.

8. Wyoming Area

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 10-2-1, 1st Div. 4

Spring 2012 postseason: Lost 9-0 to Coughlin in district first round

Classification: 2A

Coach: Mike Sokolas

Home field: 10th Street, Wyoming

Players to watch: Seniors – Jenn Bone, M; Valerie Bott, F; Lizz Jones, M; Jordan Chiavacci, GK; Nina Meighan, M; Juniors – Samantha Acacio, D; Amanda Gallagher, D; Danielle Stillarty, D/M; Nicole Cumbo, F; Sophomores – Myiah Custer, F; Chaslyn Facciponti, D; Freshmen – Jordan Kelly, D; Claudia Waltz, M; Alee Pettit, D

Outlook: The Warriors are looking to build off their excellent season in the spring, returning 11 players who started at least one game. A pair of double-digit goal scorers – Bone (12 g), Bott (10 g) – should keep Wyoming Area competitive in every game to make another district playoff run.

9. Meyers

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 6-6-1, 4th Div. 4

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 2A

Coach: Jason Nolan

Home field: Gordon Avenue

Players to watch: Angela Marinelli, Mackenzie Winder, Emmalie Langan, Aubree Patronick, Katie Lehnert

Outlook: Meyers lost a solid group of seniors to graduation and will look toward a set of forwards that should be the team's strong point. Patronick (6 g, 2 a) performed well in the spring, and Langan (2 a) provides speed for the Mohawks. The former Division 4 rivalries remain intact and should script some of the conference's most interesting match-ups when playoff berths approach.

10. Tunkhannock

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 9-2-2, 2nd Div. 4

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 2A

Coach: Kaaron Yablonski

Home field: Roslund Elementary, Rte. 29

Players to watch: Seniors – Katie Proulx, D; Anna Boecker, M; Junior – Cheyenne Brown, F

Outlook: For the second year in a row, the Tigers barely missed the postseason despite a 9-2-2 record. Second-team all-WVC forward Brown (10 g, 8 a) fronts a Tunkhannock squad that may surprise some schools this year. Proulx is one of the league's most underrated defenders. Removed from Division 4, the Tigers will need to win key games against Wyoming Area and Meyers to qualify for the district playoffs.

11. Hanover Area

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 7-5-1, T-2nd Div. 3

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 2A

Coach: Brian Bannon

Home field: Football stadium/Hanover Area soccer field

Players to watch: Seniors – Ciera Gensel, K; Kayla Keating, MF; Samantha Masher, FB; Jill Kost, D; Sophomore –Larissa Bannon, F

Outlook: Uncommon in the WVC, the Hawkeyes' strength lies in its defense. Gensel, Keating, Masher and Kost head an experienced backfield. Hanover Area may struggle to put balls in the net after losing 20-goal scorer Gabby Murphy to graduation. Bannon (4 g, 3 a) is the top returning scorer.

12. Hazleton Area

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 4-8-1, 3rd Div. 2

Spring 2012 postseason: Lost to Wyoming Area 3-2 (SO) in district play-in round

Classification: 3A

Coach: Jim Paisley

Home field: Maple Manor Complex (Bishop Hafey field)

Players to watch: Junior – Alyssa Sitch, F; Sophomores – Josie Zapotosky, M; Frankie Matriccino, M; Hayley Wilkinson, GK

Outlook: First-year coach Paisley inherits a young Cougar team that lost five seniors to graduation. Hazleton Area is looking to contend in every match and seeks a bid in the much-more-comfortable Class 3A playoffs. The Cougars rely heavily on Wilkinson – one of the top goalkeepers in the league. A lack of team speed will be a continuing problem throughout the season.

13. Wyoming Valley West

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 1-11-1, 4th Div. 2

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 3A

Coach: Mike Davitt

Home field: Spartan Stadium

Players to watch: Elizabeth Hoffman, Alyssa Shaver, Rebecca Ritsick, Caitlyn Hargrove

Outlook: Valley West sports one of the youngest teams in the conference. At any one time, the Spartans could have eight or nine freshmen and sophomores on the pitch. The Spartans hope to do a better job offensively; they scored just six goals – four by Shaver – in the spring.

14. Nanticoke

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 1-12, 5th Div. 2

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 2A

Coach: Ryan Amos

Home field: Football stadium

Players to watch: Brittany Sugalski, Shelby Divers, Sam Nice, Lindsay Lane

Outlook: Nanticoke benefits from the divisional change and may contend against some of the lower-division teams. The Trojans will try to improve daily with a lot of young players and low numbers. Led by midfielder Sugalski (5 g, 3 a), they are solid through the middle of the field.

15. Wyoming Seminary

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 2-10-1, 4th Div. 3

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 1A

Coach: Erin Griffin

Home field: Nesbitt Fields

Players to watch: "We're still evaluating all the players, in all positions," Griffin said. "We have a fairly balanced number of returning seniors and freshmen players. It's a new whole new team, and a whole new program. It's too early to be specific."

Outlook: The Blue Knights will have a lot of work on their hands, but plans to be competitive for all 80 minutes each game. Success will be gauged by Wyoming Seminary's improvement over the spring season.

16. MMI Prep

Spring 2012 WVC Record/Finish: 0-13, 5th Div. 4

Spring 2012 postseason: none

Classification: 1A

Coach: Nino Campagna

Home field: MMI Prep field, Freeland

Players to watch: Katlyn Frey, Lindsey Joseph, Keegan Farrell, Sandrine Gibbson

Outlook: The Preppers have a new coach for the third time in three years, and will be looking at the season as a practically new program. MMI Prep has a small group of freshmen and a contingent of returning seniors. In order to win its first game since 2009, Campagna's squad will need to find scoring from a new source; Frey (1 g) is the only returning scorer from the spring.