Making History - Lennox girls soccer set to begin inaugural season

A new chapter in Lennox High School athletics will begin this Friday, Aug. 14, when the Lennox girls’ soccer team takes the field at West Central for the first game in program history.

After years of interest from students and families, Lennox will officially add girls soccer to its athletic offerings in 2026. Head Coach Paul McVey said the program exists because of the persistence of the girls and their families who wanted the opportunity to play.

“We have soccer in Lennox because a group of girls and their parents politely and persistently asked for it,” McVey said. “They went about it in the right way and the Lennox School Board, and Lennox School District Administration did their due diligence to see if we could make it happen.”

For McVey, who has coached basketball, track and field, cross-country and soccer, leading the inaugural program is particularly meaningful.

“I have dreamed of Lennox becoming a soccer town, and to get a chance to work with outstanding people to make it happen is a surreal feeling,” he said. “I absolutely love coaching and I have been blessed to coach basketball, track and field, cross-country, and soccer.  I have coached soccer in my previous job as an assistant at Sioux Falls Lincoln where I learned how to coach the game from current Canton Superintendent Russ Townsend and got to be a part of a couple of State Championships in boys soccer.”

The first-year program in Lennox has brought together students with a variety of athletic and soccer backgrounds. McVey said the team has about 32 players, including athletes from seventh through 12th grades.

Some have experience playing recreational soccer in the Sioux Falls area, while others have competed on area club teams. Still others played when they were younger and are now rediscovering the sport.

The program has also attracted several athletes who are experienced competitors in other sports.

“We have quite a few first-time soccer players, but not first-time athletes,” McVey said. “Our varsity roster is full of girls who have achieved at the highest level of basketball, track and field, cross-country, and wrestling.”

McVey said it has been remarkable to see some of Lennox’s top athletes, including athletes who have competed at the conference and state levels, choose to become part of the new program.

“We also have an impressive group of junior high athletes that we will be able to not only build around in the future but plug in to key roles this season,” he said.

The inaugural roster includes Marin Bartscher (8), Ryleigh Black (12), Audrey Buehner (8), Zaelynn Dalle (8), Jayla DeCou (11), Lakosta Eastman (8), Alissa Gaffin (7), Hadley Geiken (8), Tori Gerdes (10), Paige Gleich (8), Paisley Gleich (8), Arie Grengs (8), Sophia Haar (8), Avery Hanssen (7), Peyton Herlyn (12), Kensi Holland (9), Harper Kahler (7), Lily Kuiken (9), Haven Larson (12), Allison Loewe (10), Adie McVey (10), Haddie Mikkelsen (7), Bergan Musser (10), Paige Rupp (7), Kamille Schmidt (10), Tenley Sturm (7), Jocelyn Thoms (11), Ashton Timmermans (7), Kylie Vlastuin (7), Harper Walsh (10), Annika Winterboer (12) and Jocelyn Wood (9).

Although the program is new, McVey said Lennox’s impressive group of seniors will help establish the standard for those who follow.

“We have an amazing group of Seniors,” McVey said. “Haven Larson, Peyton Herlyn, Ryleigh Black, and Annika Winterboer are all ‘soccer girls’ who are looking forward to setting a high standard of excellence for this year and the years to come.”

McVey said the four seniors embody the type of culture he hopes to establish.

Girls Soccer | From 1

“They represent everything we are about: they are outstanding students, they are unselfish, and they are very competitive,” he said. “The best part is they are great people who are fun to be around and provide a great example for the younger girls to look up to.”

Juniors Jayla DeCou and Jocelyn Thoms will also provide leadership, bringing what McVey described as “energy, positivity, toughness, and the willingness to put themselves out there trying something new.”

The sophomore class of Tori Gerdes, Allison Loewe, Adie McVey, Bergan Musser, Kamille Schmidt and Harper Walsh gives the team another core group of versatile athletes who love to win and make everyone around them better, McVey said. 

McVey will be assisted by a coaching staff he described as “honestly quite remarkable for a first-year program.”

Patricia Barnhardt serves as lead assistant coach and technical director. Barnhardt has high-level playing experience at the University of Mary in Bismarck as well as in the high school and club soccer scene in Helena, Montana. She works as a physical therapist in Sioux Falls.

Irene Vallejos, a special education assistant at Lennox High School, will also assist the team. McVey said Vallejos comes from a soccer family and grew up in California, where soccer is particularly popular. She will volunteer her photography and social media skills to the program as well.

Local soccer enthusiast Jesse Rufener rounds out the staff. Rufener played soccer at Brandon Valley and has worked to build youth soccer opportunities in Lennox. McVey said Rufener will be a “jack-of-all-trades volunteer” who can help both on and off the field.

Creating an entirely new high school athletic program has required cooperation from throughout the community.

“It has been incredible working with Athletic Director Casey Shade, Principal Chad Allison, Superintendent Adam Shaw, Lennox Parks and Rec Director Kristi Kranz, the Lennox High School coaches and numerous other community individuals who have come together to make this happen,” McVey said. “We have incredible synergy in this community. We really want what is best for these young athletes, and what is best for these girls is to let them show what they can do together on the soccer field.”

Fundraising and acquiring the necessary resources presented challenges, but McVey said the program has received strong support.

“Fundraising is always a challenge, but because of the tireless efforts of Activities Director Casey Shade, the School Board, the Business Office, and generous donations from the community, the coaches and athletes have been able to have every resource needed to get ready to compete,” he said.

The team has also been working to establish its own identity, both on and off the field.

“We get to teach a lot of girls how to play soccer (some for the first time), and the ones that have played we get to figure out what style of play we want to have, and the culture we want to develop as a program,” McVey said.

“Those are challenges, but everyone in our program is energized by building something special from the ground up!”

For the players, the opportunity to be the first Lennox girls soccer team has created an atmosphere unlike any other season.

“There is just a special energy at practice,” McVey said. “They know this is a rare opportunity to lay the foundation of something special, but they don’t just want to lay the foundation; they want to see how high they can build this thing in our time together.”

That attitude has also shaped McVey’s expectations for the inaugural season.

“I expect us to be very competitive every single game,” he said. “We are Lennox. Hard work, competitiveness, and unselfishness are in our DNA.”

The coach understands there will be mistakes as the players learn the game and gain experience together, but he sees those challenges as part of the process.

“We will make plenty of mistakes, but we will use those to learn and any obstacle we encounter we will turn into a stepping stone for continuous improvement,” McVey said.

The goals are simple: get better each game, make the playoffs and enjoy the ride.

The team’s theme for its first season is “REACH.”

“We want to become the team everyone wants to play on, and nobody wants to play against,” McVey said. “We will reach up to become the best we can be, but that will only happen when we reach out, lift each other up, and celebrate each other’s success.”

While the team has new uniforms and will be making history on the field, McVey said the people wearing those jerseys are what will ultimately matter most.

“We are fortunate to have brand new jerseys, but it is the young people wearing those jerseys and the memories and friendships they are making that matter the most,” he said.

McVey also sees soccer as an opportunity to broaden the athletic opportunities available to Lennox girls.

“Soccer will give our girls another way to express themselves,” he said. “Soccer has been called ‘the beautiful game’ and there is nothing quite like 11 players working in unison to achieve a goal.”

The program is also encouraging athletes to continue participating in other sports. Many of the players will compete in soccer while also participating in cross-country, tennis or volleyball.

“We are also getting girls out who haven’t found ‘their thing’ yet,” McVey said. “We are hoping soccer can give them something they can look forward to everyday, not just playing the game at a high level, but being around their friends experiencing something new.”

The Orioles will begin their historic season Friday, Aug. 14, at West Central. Their first home game is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18, against Groton Area.

Lennox will be at Dakota Valley on Aug. 20, host Vermillion on Aug. 27, host Garretson on Sept. 3, be at Groton Area on Sept. 15; host Dakota Valley on Sept. 17; be at Vermillion on Sept. 22; and host West Central on Sept. 24 during the regular season before the scheduled state quarterfinals on Oct. 6. The state semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 13, with the state finals set for Oct. 17.

McVey expects Dakota Valley, West Central and Groton Area to be among the team’s toughest regular-season opponents, while potential playoff matchups could include St. Thomas More and Sioux Falls Christian.

For fans who already know soccer, McVey promises an exciting season of growth.

“If you are already a soccer fan, you will see these girls will be playing the game the way it is meant to be played, and you will see tremendous improvement from game to game,” he said.

And for those who are unfamiliar with the sport, McVey encourages them to become part of the experience.

“If you don’t have much familiarity with soccer, we invite you to join our girls as we learn all of the techniques, tactics, and nuances that make soccer the world’s most popular sport.”

The team enters its first season with athleticism, speed, strength and skill, but McVey believes its greatest strength is its people.

“We are very athletic. We have tremendous speed, strength, and skill. Most importantly, we have a team full of servant-leaders who are hungry, humble and who play for each other,” he said.

The biggest learning curve will be developing the soccer knowledge to match those athletic abilities.

“We will be working on basic soccer techniques, tactics and rules every day,” McVey said. “Once our collective soccer acumen catches up with our athleticism and team culture, we will ‘REACH’ competitive greatness.”

After years of asking for the opportunity, Lennox girls will finally step onto the field Friday wearing the first soccer jerseys in school history. And whatever the final score of that first game, the 2026 team has already secured its place in Lennox High School history.