South St. Paul girls' soccer builds for return state trip

Kathleen Babich is feeling … lucky.

The 2001 South St. Paul alumnus has entered her first year as coach of the Packers' varsity soccer program after spending a handful of years leading the junior varsity and C-squad teams. While she's inheriting a new job description, she's not tasked with transforming a struggling program into a successful one.

South St. Paul is coming off back-to-back state tournament appearances, including a third-place finish last fall.

"I definitely feel like we are building momentum," Babich said. "The success over the last couple of years has definitely given our girls more confidence going into big games. This being my first year as head coach I feel so lucky to be taking over a program that is having a lot of success."

Also lucky for Babich — and not so lucky for the Packers' scheduled opponents — is that South St. Paul is returning all five of its top point-getters from last season.

Leading that charge is Tori Poole and Anna Barlow. Both players were named to the Class 1A state all-tournament team last fall. Poole, a senior, scored 25 goals with 11 assists. Barlow, a junior, registered nine goals and nine assists one year ago.

The calm and collected duo will look to build on their individual stats while improving the players around them.

And to the casual observer, the two are a treat to watch on the field.

"They both are so much fun to watch play," she said. "They make soccer look easy."

South St. Paul came out of the gate smoothly in August with victories against St. Croix Lutheran and Simley, both with 3-0 final scores. Both shutouts were registered by senior goalkeeper Alyssa Podgorski.

Another good sign: Five of the six goals scored in those matches were by underclassmen. Sophomore Hannah Marion tallied two in the team's first two matches, while eighth-grader Roxy Veldman, sophomore Samantha Veldman and ninth-grader Sonja Pearson each added goals. Junior Beth Swanson scored the other.

Brooke Fisher and Pearson are two other key players for the club. Fisher, a senior who is one of the central midfielders, is pivotal in controlling the play and momentum of every game. Pearson, a fast freshman wise beyond her years, is one of the center backs. Marion also returns as the team's second-leading goal scorer after putting in 11 last season.