SOLON — Last year the Lady Spartans fell 4-0 to Van Meter in a Class 1A regional final to finish the season at 16-4 overall and 10-2 in the WaMaC East, good for second place behind champion Mount Vernon (17-2/11-1). This year, Coach Amanda Paulson said, “Mount Vernon lost a key player this year which should give us a good run for the conference title on the East side.”
Also in Solon’s favor, for a conference title if not more, is the fact that most of last year’s roster is back and ready to go. “We lost one center back to graduation last spring, Alex Locke,” the coach said.
Six seniors – Alex Paisley, Izzy Paisley, Maria Milliman, Morgan Link, Georgia Havlicek, and Liona Rocca lead the way this year. The Paisley’s, Milliman, and Link are returning starters while Havlicek and Rocca are returning letterwinners. Link led the Lady Spartans with 23 goals and eight assists and earned First Team All-Conference, Academic All-Conference, and First Team All-District honors. Alex Paisley, a keeper, made 38 saves last year with ten goals allowed in 1,460 minutes. She earned Iowa Girls Coaches Association (IGCA) All-District Second Team and WaMaC Academic All-Conference honors. Izzy Paisley, a defender, is one of the team captains and received Conference Honorable Mention and Academic All-Conference recognition. Milliman, a defender, earned IGCA Second Team All-District, Second Team All-Conference, and Academic All-Conference honors. Havlicek, a midfielder, earned Academic All-Conference. Rocca, a forward, received Academic All-Conference honors.
Three juniors – Grace Yetley, Gabby Knipper, and Tali Radcliffe are back. Yetley and Knipper were starters last year with Radcliffe a letterwinner. Yetley, a forward and midfielder, scored three goals and earned Conference Honorable Mention. Knipper, a mid-fielder and Captain, scored seven goals and made six assists. She received First Team All-Conference honors. Radcliffe, a midfielder, scored four goals.
Six sophomores – Rose McAtee, Farrah Hendricks, Addi Greene, Valerie Miller, Silvie Hendricks, and Elena Swan are also back. McAtee, Hendricks, Greene, and Miller were starters last season with Hendricks and Swan returning as letterwinners. McAtee, a forward, was second on the team in scoring with a dozen goals. She earned Second Team All-Conference and Second Team IGCA All-District honors. Farrah Hendricks, a defensive midfielder and midfielder, scored five goals last year. Greene, a forward and midfielder, also scored five goals. Miller, a defender, earned a Second Team All-Conference spot. Silvie Hendricks, a forward, scored three goals and made one assist while Swan, a midfielder, made two goals and two assists.
Junior basketball standout and University of Iowa commit Callie Levin joins the team this season as a defender while freshman Sofia Ortega is a forward and midfielder.
Paulson, a Solon alumnus, brings a 37-23 career record over five years to the new season with fellow alum Andrew West (three years).
“The team is looking good,” Paulson said. “Great focus at practice. We have most of our previous roster returning and a lot of leadership. Our team will be strongest through the middle, and there are no major concerns at this point.” Overall, she said, the teams to beat in the WaMaC overall will be Center Point-Urbana (CPU) and Independence. “We should do well in the East.”
While the team is starting the battle for the championship, teammate Elisabeth Petrie is fighting her own life-threatening battle against kidney disease as she undergoes dialysis and will need a transplant in the future. “We are going to have a support night for her Tuesday, April 25,” said the coach. A CaringBridge webpage has been created where supporters can follow her medical journey, send well wishes, and even make a donation to help ease her family’s financial burden. Her CaringBridge page is www.caringbridge.org/visit/elizabethpetrie.
The Lady Spartans’ season opened Monday, March 27 with a visit from Regina Catholic (Iowa City). Senior Night is set for Saturday, May 13. The full schedule was published last week and is also available online at https://wamacconference.org/public/genie/150/school/12/.
Solon travels to Independence Friday, March 31 for a 5:00 p.m. game and will host Clear Creek Amana Tuesday, April 4 starting at 5:30 p.m.

Gallery • 11 Photos

Georgia Havlicek, a senior, drives toward Liberty High’s goal Friday, March 4 in a varsity scrimmage in Solon. Havlicek earned Academic All-Conference recognition last year.