This year’s Premier Preps girls soccer team draws from several area schools that fielded competitive squads during the 2018-19 school year.

Lamar, which placed two on the 2019 Premier Preps squad, made it to the second round of the MAIS Class AAAA, Division II playoffs, and Newton County (two players) and Clarkdale (one player) both made it to the second round of their respective postseasons in the MHSAA. Neshoba Central (one player) also earned a berth in the Class 5A playoffs, and West Lauderdale (four players) won the Class 4A state championship. Northeast Lauderdale (one player) is the only team with a player on the list that didn’t make the playoffs, as the Lady Trojans shared a tough division with West Lauderdale (8-0 in Region 4-4A) and Newton County (6-2 in Region 4-4A).

Here are some other interesting facts about this year’s Premier Preps girls soccer team:

3 — Back-to-back selections: After making the 2018 Premier Preps girls soccer team last year, West Lauderdale’s Ember Temple and Caroline Green and Newton County’s Brynn Boutwell were all selected for the second year in a row. Temple and Green also made the 2017 Premier Preps squad.

5 — Central Mississippi All-Star selections: Neshoba Central’s Makaylin Alex, West Lauderdale’s Caroline and Lucy Green, Clarkdale’s Mary Ashley Culpepper and Newton County’s Brynn Boutwell were all named to the All-Star game that was played Feb. 12 on the campus of East Central Community College.

6 — Premier Preps selections whose teams finished first in their division: West Lauderdale (Caroline and Lucy Green, Ember Temple and Alice Williamson), Neshoba Central (Makaylin Alex) and Clarkdale (Mary Ashley Culpepper) all played for teams who won their region. Lamar (Emma Kate Uithoven and Lydia Hutcherson) and Newton County (Brynn Boutwell and Olivia Clark) both placed second in their division. Northeast Lauderdale (Hannah Cook) tied for third in its division.

8 — Number of non-seniors on the squad: West Lauderdale’s Caroline Green, Newton County’s Brynn Boutwell and Northeast Lauderdale’s Hannah Cook are the only three players on this year’s Premier Preps team that will be graduating this May. Of the others, five are sophomores and three are juniors.

132 — Total goals by this year’s team: As a group, this year’s Premier Preps team finished with more than 100 goals scored on the season, led by Ember Temple, who finished with 43 goals. Emma Kate Uithoven, Alice Williamson, Makaylin Alex, Mary Ashley Culpepper and Brynn Boutwell all tallied double-digit goals individually.

99 — Number of assists by this year’s team: It wasn’t just goals that this year’s Premier Preps selections racked up, as the group was one goal shot of 100 on the season. Individually, the team was led by Caroline Green, who finished with 26 assists.

                                               THE TEAM

Ember Temple

Sophomore

Forward

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: Temple scored an eye-opening 43 goals this season for the Lady Knights — making her the third-leading scorer in the state — while also dishing out 20 assists to help West Lauderdale win the MHSAA Class 4A state championship. 

 

Emma Kate Uithoven

Sophomore

Forward

Lamar

Why she’s here: Uithoven was a standout for the Lady Raiders this past season, as she finished the season with 11 goals and 10 assists in 12 games played, good enough to land her on the MAIS AAAA All-Division team. 

 

Alice Williamson

Sophomore

Forward

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: Williamson was a key component for the Lady Knights this season as she finished with 22 goals and 13 assists to help West Lauderdale win the MHSAA Class 4A state championship. 

 

Makaylin Alex

Junior

Midfielder

Neshoba Central

Why she’s here: Alex was a Central Mississippi All-Star selection after finishing with 11 goals and 18 assists in 20 games played. She was also a team captain and an All-Region selection, and she led MHSAA Class 5A in assists. 

 

Caroline Green

Senior

Midfielder

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: Green, a Mississippi Association of Coaches All-Star selection, tallied seven goals and 26 assists to help the Lady Knights win the MHSAA Class 4A state championship this past season. 

  

Mary Ashley Culpepper

Sophomore 

Midfielder

Clarkdale

Why she’s here: Culpepper helped Clarkdale to a 6-0 Region 5-1/2/3A record and berth in the second round of the playoffs, finishing with 13 goals and 10 assists and earning first-team All-Region honors. Culpepper was also selected to the Central Mississippi All-Star game.

 

Lydia Hutcherson

Sophomore 

Midfielder

Lamar

Why she’s here: Splitting time between center mid and center back, Hutcherson tallied five goals and two assists on the season in 12 games played, earning a spot on the MAIS Class AAAA All-Division team.  

  

Brynn Boutwell

Senior

Midfield

Newton County

Why she’s here: A first-team All-Region 4-4A selection, Boutwell finished with 16 goals on the season, earning Most Outstanding Offensive Player in her region. A Central Mississippi All-Star selection, Boutwell also earned Newton County’s Golden Boot and Offensive MVP accolades. 

  

Lucy Green

Junior

Defender

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: A Central Mississippi All-Star selection, Green helped lead a Lady Knights back end that gave up no goals in the postseason and just eight total goals on the year. Green is committed to play soccer at Ole Miss. 

 

Hannah Cook

Senior

Defender

Northeast Lauderdale

Why she’s here: A Region 4-4A first-team selection, Cook led the Lady Trojans with 86 defensive steals on the season, and she also scored four goals for Northeast Lauderdale. She was named Northeast Lauderdale’s MVP and recently signed to continue her soccer career at Meridian Community College.

 

Olivia Clark

Junior 

Keeper

Newton County

Why she’s here: Voted Region 4-4A’s most outstanding goalkeeper, Clark tallied nine shutouts on the season for the Lady Cougars. She was also a first-team selection for Region 4-4A.