Posted: Aug 14, 2025

Women's Soccer Picked Seventh by GPAC Coaches

Coming off a winning record in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play, the women's soccer team was picked to finish seventh this year by the conference coaches. The Tigers went 5-2-4 in GPAC play, earning the sixth seed. Hastings was picked to repeat as conference champions with Concordia and Dordt taking the next two spots. Morningside was the clear choice for fourth with the next four spots separated by eight points. Saint Mary was picked fifth with 71 points, followed by Briar Cliff with 65, Doane with 64, and Midland with 63. Northwestern and Dakota Wesleyan followed in the ninth and tenth spots of the poll while Mount Marty and Waldorf were the final two teams.

2024 Season Recap - Doane Women's Soccer

The Doane Tigers wrapped up the 2024 campaign with a 7-8-4 overall record and a 5-2-4 mark in conference play. The team was strong at home, posting a 5-2 record in Crete, but struggled away from home at 2-6-4. They recorded 8 shutouts while scoring 28 goals and conceding 19. The Tigers outshot their opponents 204-190 and held a narrow edge in shots on goal 112-104.

Team Statistical Leaders

Scoring

McKenna Rathbun (Jr) – Team leader with 10 goals and 3 assists (23 points), including 4 game-winning goals.
Hayle Brodine (Fr) – 5 goals, 4 assists (14 points), 3 game-winners.
Celeste Galvan (Jr) – 4 goals, 1 assist (9 points).
Savannah Franzoy (Jr) – 4 goals (8 points).
Additional scorers included Emma Jenkins, Sarah Kennedy-Croft, Grace Dowding, and Madalynn Dyke with 1 goal each.

Playmaking

Brodine's 4 assists led the team, followed by Rathbun (3), and Gisselle Martinez, Malaz Suliman, Mackenzy Gipson, and Payton Cooley with 1 each.

Defensive Standouts

The Tigers' defense posted 8 clean sheets and held opponents to 1.00 goals against average.

Virginia Johnson (So) – 13 GP, 5 shutouts, 52 saves, .825 save percentage.
Grayce Southern (Jr) – 7 GP, 1 shutout, 25 saves, .806 save percentage.
Ella Hale (Fr) – 2 GP, 1 shutout, .778 save percentage.

Veteran defenders Brooklyn Mercurio, Natalie Dye, Grace Dowding, and Payton Cooley anchored the backline with heavy minutes.

Discipline

The team was relatively disciplined, with 14 yellow cards and no red cards in 19 matches.

Key Matches

Biggest Win – Oct. 28 vs Waldorf, 8-0, with an offensive explosion at home.
Signature Conference Win – Oct. 19 at Northwestern, 1-0 victory on the road.
Notable Draws – 0-0 at Midland (Sept. 25) and 0-0 at Hastings (Oct. 26) against strong conference opponents.
Tough Losses – Two 3-0 defeats at Dordt (Oct. 5 and Nov. 2) bookended late-season play.

Season Trends

Home Fortress – Outscored opponents 21-4 at home.
Road Struggles – Managed just 1 win in 11 away matches.
Strong Starts in Conference – Began GPAC play with only 1 loss in first 8 conference games.
Defensive Consistency – Allowed more than 2 goals only twice all year.

Closing Summary

Doane's 2024 season showcased a disciplined defensive core, a balanced scoring attack led by Rathbun and Brodine, and a dominant home-field advantage. With several key contributors returning, including their top scorer and primary goalkeeper, the Tigers will look to convert narrow road losses into wins and push deeper into conference contention next season.

Players in italics graduated

(release partially constructed utilizing ChatGPT)