For the third time in three years, the Neosho County Panthers have a new head coach guiding its women’s soccer program this fall.
Samuel Hall, an Englishman from Leicester, played at Genesee Community College in New York before transferring to Chowan University.
Hall then coached at NCAA Division II Lake Erie men before taking the job at Neosho County.
“I’ve coached at the club level for the women’s game and I’ve really enjoyed it,” Hall said. “It’s a growing sport. In this country, you’ve seen the success with the national team. It’s an inspiration and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Neosho County spent most of last year ranked in the NJCAA Division II polls and finished the campaign with a 10-6-1 record. The Panthers won a KJCCC title in 2023.
“It’s not my recruiting class, so I’m not looking for any specific end goals. I just want to develop the players to compete at the highest level,” Hall said. “I believe doing things at a fundamental level consistently will help you climb the ladder. The players’ ability got them here in the first place.”
Hall replaces Aaron Dowsett as the club’s head coach. Dowsett took control from Elliot Chadderton, who also coaches the men’s team. Chadderton remained on staff as Dowsett’s assistant and will remain in that role for Hall.
While the head job has been a revolving door, Hall aims to ease the minds of the athletes he inherited.
“Why did they play soccer in the first place? Because they enjoy it,” Hall said. “I’m not going to take that from them. If I can get them on board by trusting what I’m doing, that will allow for success. I don’t want to control everything. I like to be a guide to allow them to create and play how they enjoy.”
Tactically, Hall wants the Panthers to display their creativity on the pitch.
“Individually, everybody has to know what their job is,” Hall said. “They have to understand their roles and their responsibilities. Collectively, we have to be organized in difficult moments. If everybody understands our structure, that’s the foundation to allow them to express themselves.”
Pauline Detering is Neosho County’s leading returning goal scorer, netting five over 13 games played.
Mia Ferioli, a sophomore winger from London, led the Panthers with nine assists last fall.
“She’s experienced. She’s been here one year and she knows the conference,” Hall said. “She can really kick on and I’m trying to give her confidence to build on what makes her successful.”
Freshman Melissa Riley from Metheringham, England, will control the pitch as a highly anticipated midfielder.
“Technically, she’s brilliant. She’s really a link between the midfield and the attack,” Hall said. “We look to play through her. She has a good shooting ability, so we’ll play her a little higher.”
Hall also has high hopes for new goalkeeper Evie McKane, another Englishwoman from Stowmarket.
“She brings in good experience and it’s hard to find a goalkeeper with her kind of presence,” Hall said. “As a freshman, she can have a big influence on the team. She fills a really important position.”
Others on Neosho County’s roster this season include Aurelia Smith (Sydney, Australia), Ericka Ayala- Lara (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Freya Stevenson (Aberdeen, Scotland), Katie Smart (Emporia), Halle Dolphin (Belton, Missouri), Lily Beck (Australia, Sydney), Carlee Wooten (Springville, Utah), Lizzy Wilson (Belton, Missouri), Ellen Kahle (Olpe, Germany), Paola Salas (Heredia, Costa Rica), Samantha Dongo (Chichester, England), Imogen Flint (Crawley, England), Talia WIckham (Calgary, Canada), Jessie Wright (Moore, Oklahoma), Kaidence Willis (McDonald County, Missouri), Hayden Shepard (Lee’s Summit, Missouri), Sarai Starkweather (Redlands, California) and Laryssa Matter (Belgrade, Montana).
Neosho County’s women’s program has become one of the more respected clubs in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference, a league that produced last year’s national runner-up in Johnson County.
Hall expects the Panthers to continue making noise on the pitch in his first year.
“This team is capable of a lot, and that’s what excites me,” Hall said. “The talent we have is fantastic. We showed a lot (in our preseason match) and we had players injured that could be starters. That gives me a lot of optimism. If we just focus on one game, we’ll get to where we need to be.”
The Panthers open the season with two road matches in Indianapolis against Schoolcraft College and Northwest Mississippi on Aug. 22 and 24, respectively.
Neosho County then hosts its home opener on Aug. 30 against Western Iowa Tech.
