Several former local high school girls soccer standouts faced each other on the NCAA Division II college pitch this fall for teams within the Great Lakes Valley Conference. 

In fact, one such GLVC squad has advanced to the conference tournament semifinals. 

McKendree University is 14-1-3 on the season, the latest victory being 1-0 over Rockhurst University in the GLVC Tournament on Sunday. 

The Bearcats will face Drury University this Friday in East Peoria for a berth in the tourney finals. 

The championship match takes place this Sunday.

A key member of the McKendree squad is senior midfielder Reagan Mauch of Columbia. In 17 games this season, Mauch has four goals and three assists.

Mauch was a member of the Columbia High School girls soccer squad that won a state title in 2019. 

Another GLVC school with locals on its women’s soccer squad is the University of Illinois-Springfield. Playing on the Prairie Stars this fall were Gibault graduates Brooke Biffar and Hannah Stearns, along with Valmeyer’s Greta Kohnz. 

Biffar played in all 18 games for Illinois-Springfield (7-5-6), and all were starts. The junior defender recorded two assists.

Stearns, a junior midfielder, played in 13 games for the Prairie Stars, including three starts. 

Kohnz, who played high school soccer at Notre Dame in St. Louis, is a freshman midfielder who played in 18 games (seven starts) and recorded an assist.

The Prairie Stars fell in penalty kicks to Drury in the GLVC Tournament on Sunday after battling to a scoreless tie through regulation and two overtimes.

Yet another GLVC team featuring local talent is University of Missouri-St. Louis. The Tritons went 8-6-3 on the season, closing with a loss Sunday to Lewis University in the conference tourney. 

Playing on the pitch for UMSL this fall were junior defender Jaycee Cotton of Waterloo and freshman midfielder Taylor Martin of Columbia. Waterloo’s Karley Kinzinger is also on the UMSL roster. 

Cotton played 17 games this season, recording four goals and an assist. 

Martin also played in 17 games for UMSL, recording a goal and two assists.