Mapleton soccer squad turns heads in state-ranked season

NANKIN – Across the road from her Mapleton girls soccer team’s practice field sits a fenced-in cow pasture that at times has made coach Carly Sue Stevens do a double-take.

Now in her third season leading the Mounties, Stevens said she’s noticed a few times during practice over the years that the cows will mosey into the pasture, slowly walk down along the fence line nearest Mapleton’s field in an almost parade-like queue, then head back toward the entrance to the pasture.

The odd, almost ritualistic march has sometimes made her lose focus on practice and stare into the pasture with curiosity. Stevens said she can’t explain what the cows are doing.

Perhaps they’ve just been trying to get a better look at the Mounties.

Ranked No. 15 in Division III in the latest Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association state poll, Mapleton has turned some heads this season.

The Mounties carry a 10-4-0 record. They’ll be the only girls soccer team in the Ashland area hosting a tournament game this season when they face Cornerstone Christian on Wednesday.

They have one of the most potent goal-scorers in area history in senior Brinlee Youngen and a coach in Stevens who – as a 2019 Crestview graduate – was barely out of high school when the current Mountie seniors were high school freshmen.

Still only 22 years old, Stevens played competitive travel soccer growing up and stood out on the pitch in high school. She also was on the Cougar track, football and wrestling teams and even considered wrestling in college.

Not the typical resume for a female high school girls soccer coach. Stevens also is the head coach of the Mountie girls wrestling team (and an assistant with the boys), and she spends some of her free time helping coach Special Olympics athletes.

It all seems fitting, though, because her scrappy, talented Mapleton squad – carrying just 14 players – is anything but typical.

“(A big season) has been a long time coming,” said Stevens, an occupational therapist who took over the MHS program as a 20-year-old just one game into the 2021 season after a year as the team’s assistant coach.

“This is the first class I’ve had all four years, so I’ve definitely seen them grow, I’ve definitely seen them work together and come into their own.

“It’s not an overnight process, but it’s very exciting for these girls and for me as a coach to watch them finally have everything click and be the team on top.”

Mapleton finished 7-10 in 2021, then 9-6-1 last fall. With a unified and motivated quartet of seniors leading the way, this season has seen an even bigger bump in success and turned into the best for the program since the 2016 squad went 14-3-3 and made it all the way to the regional title game.

Youngen has been the linchpin. After a junior campaign that featured 38 goals and 10 assists, the tall, speedy senior striker has scored 38 goals this year, netting No. 100 for her career Sept. 28 in a 7-0 home blowout of Edison.

She said reaching the century mark has always been a personal career target, and a 40-goal finish this fall would put her among Ohio’s all-time leaders for a single season.

Based on the stats on MaxPreps, Youngen is Top 10 in the state in both points (82) and goals.

“We have strong players on both offense and defense; even when we’re shutting people out, we’re scoring (a lot),” said Youngen who tallied 14 goals as a freshman at Loudonville before transferring to Mapleton.

“All around, we just wanted it this season. We wanted to step up and be those top dogs.”

Her supporting senior cast is one with true balance and leadership. Maggie Hellickson (10 goals, 10 assists) is Mapleton’s other leading offensive threat, while defender Caitlyn Vermilya and goalie Gracen Beattie have been stalwarts on the back end.

Each member of the senior quartet is a multi-sport athlete, but when asked their No. 1 sport, they instantly and unanimously said soccer.

“I think since all of us have been playing for so long together, we knew that we were going to click pretty well and we were going to be strong leaders for our team,” Hellickson said. “We’ve learned how to accept that some of us are going to make mistakes and it’s going to be OK and we need to come back and build from that.”

“Last year there was a lot more bickering (on the field),” Vermilya added, “but this year I think we’ve definitely all relaxed and just learned how to talk to each other as teammates.”

Entering the season, Mapleton’s main concerns were lack of depth and a lot of positional changes.

Vermilya said the versatility, athleticism and teamwork up and down the MHS roster has helped solve for the fact that the team’s bench is so thin.

Stevens said adjustments and good communication at halftime have been critical as well.

“I’ve definitely gotten compliments this season on how well they do work together,” the coach said. “This is the most balanced I’ve seen the team. I’m not worried about where I put them.”

The collection of continuity has led to some eye-popping numbers on the field. All 10 of Mapleton’s wins have come by at least three goals and eight of them have been shutouts with Beattie in net.

The senior has 50 saves for the season and said the Mountie defense rarely allows many scoring threats in the first place. But Stevens said Beattie is good at reading the entire field and relaying what she’s seeing.

“I feel like when we all capitalize on our individual skills and strengths and come together as a team, we can be really good,” Beattie said.

Sophomore Audrey Hellickson – Maggie’s sister – has been another impact performer, notching eight goals and 10 assists.

For the first time since 2015, Mapleton locked up a Mid-Buckeye Conference title Oct. 5 after a 4-0 win over Crestview. In four total MBC games, the Mounties outscored Crestview, Mansfield Christian and Loudonville by an 18-1 count.

Mapleton’s win over Crestview at the MBC tournament was especially meaningful to the team. It came less than a week after senior classmate Bre McKean tragically passed away during Homecoming festivities.

“It has resonated with the girls to treat every moment like it’s meaningful and you never know if you’re going to get it again,” Stevens said.

All four Mountie senior soccer players were teammates with McKean in at least one other sport and all of them said every game since her passing has carried a new meaning.

“We wanted to win (the MBC championship) for her, because we knew she would be cheering from the sidelines,” Youngen said. “She means a lot to us. She was the hype girl.”

“We want to carry her with us through this senior season,” Maggie Hellickson added. “… We want to make sure that we cherish it together.”