The Sun Prairie East girls soccer program entered the 2024 season eager to prove itself. Expectations were tapered for the Cardinals with no seniors on the roster and only a handful of players with varsity experience. The first opportunity to take the field presented itself in the form of a home quad, hosted at Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6.
East looked like a team experience beyond its years. The Cardinals fared well in the two-day event against a pair of quality non-conference opponents. They opened with a 1-1 draw against Watertown on Friday. The following day, they were up against DeForest, a No. 3 seed in last season’s WIAA state tournament which claimed a regional title. The Cardinals took the Norskies down for their first win of the season, 2-1.
“I was impressed with our game against Watertown,” Sun Prairie East head coach Matt Cleveland said. “Our players were just called to simply go out there and play varsity soccer. There were no real expectations, just go out and get the experience and nerves out.”
That laid-back approach bore great fruit for the Cardinals in Friday’s matchup with the Goslings as the first half ended without a goal scored for either side. Junior goalkeeper Cari Whetten, one of the team’s captains and a first team all-conference selection from the season prior, made three saves in the first half shutout.
Sophomore Lauren Wiegel took over in goal in the second half to get some necessary early experience. Watertown struck quickly in the second half, sneaking a goal past her in the 41st minute. She was rock-solid from then on, though, preventing another goal with three saves.
East’s offense went out and found an equalizer 20 minutes later. Freshman midfielder Ava Vogler stormed into the Watertown end and drew a foul, resulting in a penalty kick. She scorched it past Watertown’s keeper to knot the game up at one goal each. Neither side struck again as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Whetten played the entirety of the following day’s matchup with non-conference DeForest. She made nine saves in total, only allowing one goal in the 16th minute. The security she provided on the defensive side of things allowed her team to be aggressive on offense and go get the win.
“Our players responded beautifully with our adjustments to get after it for a win with no practice between games,” coach Cleveland said. “We knew DeForest was a strong, physical, and dangerous team. I am very impressed with the effort every one of our players gave as we fought through that game.”
While DeForest did score early, it wasn’t the first score of the game. That distinction belonged to East freshman forward Mackenzie Carpenter. She took an assist from junior midfielder Zella Cleveland and buried the opening goal in the 12th minute. Following DeForest’s equalizer in the 16th, neither side scored again through the halftime break.
20 minutes into the second half, East would strike again. Junior defenseman Charlotte Barrett set the score up by bashing a free kick off of the crossbar. The ensuing rebound fell right to the boot of freshman midfielder Kate Dwyer, who punched in the go-ahead goal. Whetten and the East defense held on through the final horn to solidify a 2-1 victory.
Sun Prairie East emerges undefeated from its first weekend of competition with a 1-0-1 record. The Cardinals’ trend of hosting non-conference opponents will continue in their next game as Mukwonago will pay a visit to Sun Prairie East High School on Thursday, April 11. They’ll wrap up their second week with a triangular at UW-Whitewater on Saturday, April 13 with Kettle Moraine and Racine Horlick. Big Eight conference play will begin on Thursday, April 18 with a trip to Janesville Craig.
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