The 2026 girls soccer season in the Springfield area has gotten off to quite the start. Springfield High (11-2-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the Central State Eight Conference through April 26) is having another strong season after finishing third in the Class 2A state tournament last year. Chatham Glenwood (8-3-4, 5-0-1) remains dangerous. Both teams’ run to a potential state tournament appearance run through the 2A Alton Sectional.
Rochester (7-4-2, 4-1-1) looks stronger after it handed the Senators their first tie this season on Thursday. The next day, Pleasant Plains (14-0-1 overall, 5-0 in the Sangamo) handed Springfield High just its second loss. The Rockets and Cardinals will be fighting it out in the 1A Rochester Sectional, along with Plains’ Sangamo rival Williamsville (12-3-1, 4-1).
The South Central Conference has Litchfield (16-1-1, 5-0 in the SCC) leading Staunton (13-5, 5-1) and Gillespie (10-2, 3-1).
With regionals beginning May 15, The State Journal-Register looks at some of the area’s top players who have rocked the first six weeks of the Illinois High School Association girls soccer season. Be sure to vote for your favorite player in the girls poll. The link is below.
The players will be listed in alphabetical order.
Lydia Auble, Springfield High
Through 12 matches, the senior keeper had allowed three goals with nine shutout wins.
Ava Bee, Athens
The Warriors’ junior leads the offense with 21 goals and eight assists.
Raelyn Brammer, Pleasant Plains
The Cardinals’ senior has posted 42 points, with 15 goals and 12 assists.
Kaliana Buehler, Staunton
Coach Billy Hester describes his sophomore forward as “indestructible” who “never quits.” She has 18 goals and six assists and, when Madelyn Davin (below) was injured 16 minutes into a game, she stepped in and finished the final 64 minutes for a shutout.
Madelyn Davin, Staunton
The goalkeeper proved she can limit a high-powered offense when she had 16 saves to hold Litchfield, which averages nearly six goals a game, scoreless through two overtime periods before the Purple Panthers emerged with a shootout win. The junior has allowed eight goals and has an .877 goals-against average through 13 games.
Kearstynn Davis/Aubrey Huber, Hillsboro
Through 15 matches, Davis hung 10 goals and nine assists for the Hiltoppers, while Huber has added 12 goals.
Madalyn DeFrates, Jacksonville
Through 15 games, the midfielder has 27 points with a dozen goals.
Emme Divjak, Auburn
One of the area’s most prolific scorers, she has 34 goals and nine assists for 77 points. The junior striker also has 98 goals in her career. Divjak is averaging 4.8 points per game through 16 matches.
Ryenne Dugger, Staunton
She has 55 points (3.2 per match) with 20 goals and 15 assists through 13 matches for the Bulldogs.
McKenna Harmon, Litchfield
Want to try to stop Chloe Law? The Purple Panthers counter that defensive focus with Harmon’s 17 goals and nine assists through 13 matches.
Izzy Henning, Athens
This junior is one of the players coach Josh Ruben has to rely on to play both defense and midfield through her versatility. She’s even punched through opposing defenses with three goals and has added three assists.
Kamryn Hoffman, Springfield High
She cemented her place in area soccer stardom last season with 58 goals and a state-record goals in 27 consecutive matches, a season after getting 33 assists in 2024. With 145 goals and 95 assists in her career, she is five assists shy of becoming the first girls soccer player in state history to reach the 100-club in both. Through 12 games, she has 28 goals and 14 assists.
Mary Jane Keller, Rochester
Not only does this senior have six goals and seven assists, but her goal from approximately 25-yards out on Thursday, April 23 gave Springfield High its first conference blemish (a 1-1 tie).
Chloe Law, Litchfield
The midfielder/forward is averaging 4.3 points per game with 21 goals and 14 assists through 13 matches.
Bailey Leach, Pleasant Plains
She continues to put up numbers at an amazing rate with 29 goals and 13 assists through 14 matches. Her 71 points gives her 5.1 points per match.
Leilah Link, Athens
Coach Josh Ruben said his junior anchors the defense, using her speed, ability to play with either foot and her impeccable timing on tackles. She also has four goals and seven assists.
Brooklynn Lowder, Rochester
The Rockets’ senior midfielder had 27 points with 13 goals through 13 matches.
Bridget Lyons/Kalyn Burton, Springfield High
Lyons, a senior, and Burton, a junior, are currently sitting at 29 and 28 points, respectively. Lyons, a midfielder, has 10 goals and nine assists while Burton’s the inverse, at nine goals and 10 helpers.
Addie Maddox, Springfield High
As a freshman last year, she proved big stages aren’t too big when she scored in a penalty-kick round in the Class 2A supersectionals to send SHS past Troy Triad and onto state. This year, her 11 goals and 11 assists have caught few, if any, off guard.
Adia Melchert/Emma Weidner, Litchfield
It’s raining goals in Litchfield. The Purple Panthers, who have scored 105 times in 18 matches, have 17 goals and 12 assists from this pair. Weidner has 10 goals and Melchert has seven goals and 10 assists.
Kendyl Mirabile/Calynn Frye, Williamsville
The Bullets have 31 points (10 goals, 11 assists) from their senior midfielder/forward, Mirabile while Frye, a senior forward, has seven goals to go with 12 assists.
Shay Neeley, Lincoln
The Railsplitters’ senior has already reached double digits with 10 goals.
Ella Plumb, Williamsville
The Bullets’ sophomore midfielder and defender has 28 goals, seven assists and 63 points for 5.7 points per through 11 matches.
Lynzie Reid, Litchfield
Though her Purple Panthers have a high-powered offense, they also have a legit wall in the net. Through 13 matches, she’s allowed just four goals and has a 0.348 goals-against average.
Callie Wagner, Pleasant Plains
A junior, she has a balanced and productive 17 goals with 14 assists through 14 matches, giving her 48 points.
Ellen Wiker, Athens
The junior moved out of her comfort zone from defense to play a larger role within the Warriors’ offense and that move has paid off with 11 goals and seven assists for the 9-5 squad.
Tori Zobus/Addy Doerfler, Williamsville
Zobus, a senior, and Doerfler, a sophomore, are defenders who have anchored the Bullets’ back line.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: These 32 girls soccer players make Springfield area soccer must watch
Reporting by Ryan Mahan, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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