The Mid-Prairie boys and girls soccer teams start River Valley Conference play tonight in Wellman when they entertain the West Liberty Comets. The Golden Hawk boys are 0-1 on the year after a 6-1 loss at Williamsburg Thursday where Noah Ford had Mid-Prairie’s lone tally and Joe Hall made 10 saves in goal. The Comets are 1-2 on the year with losses to Muscatine and Iowa City High and a mercy rule win over Columbus. This sesason, West Liberty is led by Uriel Andrade with five goals and Bruce Songa with three assists. Juan Mateo has also scored three times. The Hawks and Comets met twice a year ago with West Liberty scoring a pair of one goal wins.

This is the season opener for the Golden Hawk girls under first year head coach Truman Shetler. Mid-Prairie was 9-6 last year, bowing out in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs at Solon. The Hawks are looking to replace their three leading scorers from a season ago, who combined for 40 goals. The top number back belongs to Sophia Baker and Zoey Curtiss who each scored three times in 2022. Mid-Prairie’s top four assisters have also graduated with Curtiss’ two the top tally returning. Defensively, Mid-Prairie is looking to replace their keeper and four others from that side of the ball, with experience returning in Emily Curtiss, Paityn Jennings, Evangeline Marner, Lydia Beachy and Kyla Karnes. West Liberty is listed as 0-1 after a 2-0 loss to Columbus to start the campaign. Last season, the Hawks beat West Liberty 1-0 in their only meeting. The girls contest starts at 5p.m. with the boys at 6:30 at the Wellman Rotary Soccer Complex.