West Holmes girls soccer aiming high after injury-plagued year
West Holmes junior Charli Murphy, who missed much of last season with a hip injury after a standout freshman campaign, is back healthy and already opened the year with a hat trick in a 3-3 tie against Tri-Valley.
Josh McWilliams
Standout Charli Murphy returns healthy to lead the Knights, who look to rebound in the tough Ohio Cardinal Conference after an injury-filled 2024 season.
Two years ago as a freshman, Charli Murphy was the talk of Holmes
County, helping the West Holmes girls soccer team reach the state semifinals
for the first time in program history.
Last year she missed the last 11 games of the season
due to a hip avulsion fracture but still finished with 22 goals and five
assists.
Now back and healthy, she is ready to spearhead the charge
this fall.
“It’s always good to have a dynamic, versatile player on
your team,” said second-year coach Bruce Murphy, whose team finished 7-10-3 last
season. “She is able to play multiple positions at a high level, which creates
problems for opponents.”
Joining her as players to watch are seniors Katherine Kaster
(anywhere) and Briana Poventud (defender), junior Breslyn Brown
(defender/midfielder), and freshman Codi Murphy (midfielder). Poventud was
second on the team a year ago with eight goals and two assists, Brown tallied
two scores, and Kaster dished out four assists and buried one goal.
“Kaster can really play anywhere needed and is so skilled
and intelligent,” coach Murphy said. “Codi is very technically sound. Brown is
quick and intelligent. Poventud is extremely athletic and versatile for us.”
With lofty goals, coach Murphy believes health will be a key coming off a season that saw his team hit hard by the injury bug.
“Our goal every year is to have a solid, fundamentally sound
squad that can go out and compete,” he said. “The OCC is tough with a lot of
talented teams. We strive every year to stay competitive and be the best
version of ourselves that we can be.”
