A healthy number of starters returning, most at key positions, from a Final Four team should mean continued success this season.
Right? Well ...
"On paper, you'd think we were sitting great and we are," Lady Jays soccer coach Eddie Horn said as Jefferson City prepared for today's season opener against Ursuline Academy in St. Louis. "But they don't play games on paper, unfortunately.
"We're just OK right now. We have a lot of room for improvement."
The Lady Jays are coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, which culminated in a third-place finish in the Class 3 state tournament. But that was last year, Horn said.
"I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think there's a way we're going to have 23 wins and 19 shutouts like we did last year," he said. "But I hope because we play a lot of high-level games, we're better prepared to see a great opponent if we're fortunate enough to return to the Final Four."
Jefferson City will start the season with eight returning starters. A ninth, Kaley Ruff, could be back on the field later this season after hip surgery.
In goal, the Lady Jays return senior Becca Sturgess and junior Megan Foster, both of whom saw time last season.
"We're blessed to have two good ones, you need a solid goalkeeper to go anywhere and we have two," Horn said. "They are a little different style of keeper. It's going to be a tough decision, because my eye for that position isn't all that good.
"I think it will sort itself out during the season. Both will have a chance to earn the starting job."
Katie Tambke, a junior, returns as one center back on defense.
"She will anchor the backline and I expect her to be dynamite again this year," Horn said.
Kourtney Betts, a senior, will start at the other spot, with sophomore Alaina Allsbury and freshman McKenzie Gourley also in contention for playing time.
The left back will be senior Brianna Lock, while senior Alyssa Shouse will hold down the spot on the right side.
Sarah Luebbert, a junior who has committed to Missouri, returns in the midfield.
"She's just a good player, she can do just about anything," Horn said. "Her leadership, there's no arrogance, she just plays. She's humble and makes everyone around her better. She will do everything she can to win."
The other center midfielder will be sophomore Karina Esquivel.
The wide midfield starters will be senior Eden Hoogveld and junior Tayler LePage.
"Eden is doing a great job," horn said. "She had 16 goals last year, a lot of important ones."
LePage has been a standout so far in practice, Horn said.
"She was really playing well at the end of last year and I think she's picked up right where she left off," he said. "She's becoming a better soccer player."
Natalie Vance, a junior, and sophomore Mackenzie Lochhead will start at forward.
"If they can score, we don't have to worry about moving some players up to help us get some goals," Horn said. "That was a weakness of the team last year, we didn't have a dynamic scorer up front."
Among the key reserves will be junior Grace Haarman.
The team could be bolstered in the midfield with the potential return of Ruff, who has been doing straight-line running and technical drills with no contact in practice.
"For the surgery she had, that's amazing," Horn said. "I did not expect her back, but there's a strong possibility she's going to get to play and that's great for us."
Ruff really began to click in Horn's system midway through last season.
"When that happened, we really started to play better and I think that sort of propelled us the rest of the season," Horn said.
After today's game, the Lady Jays will play next week in the Lee's Summit Tournament. Jefferson City will face Kearney, Park Hill and Lee's Summit in the event.
"It's possible we could start the season 0-4," Horn said. "How do we react if that happens? Do players start to hang their heads, let people get into their ears about things we should change? The next thing you know, there's a big mess."
It's just the beginning of a schedule that is more difficult than last season.
"For the team that we had, we needed some higher-level games last year," Horn said. "Well, we've got them now."
Also new to the schedule are St. Joseph's Academy, Visitation Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Joseph's Academy is the defending Class 3 state champion, Visitation won the Class 2 title, while St. Thomas Aquinas is a five-time defending state champ in Kansas.
"We will play anybody, any place and see how it goes," Horn said. "That's more important to me than beating somebody 4-0 or 5-0 and thinking we're that good."
Horn hopes that strategy will pay off in the postseason.
"We're going to have some bad outings, some games where we're not very good," he said. "But that's just part of the journey and you learn from that to improve.
"If we remain focused, block out the distractions, we can play our best soccer at the end of the season."
Jefferson City's first home game is April 2 against Fatima.