Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln East

Head Coach Info – Emily Mathews

Previous Records

Players to Watch

• Haley Peterson – University of Nebraska-Lincoln soccer signee
• Briley Hill – University of Nebraska-Lincoln soccer signee
• Annie Mulder – Kansas State University soccer commit
• Olivia Kugler

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

Previous Season Accomplishments – 2019 Class A State Semi-Finalists

NEST Analysis – Coach Mathews should be incredibly excited about her team’s prospects in 2021. This is a program that has been building and all of that work has been aimed towards this upcoming year. It appears that a “golden generation” type of situation is taking place within the Lincoln East program. A returning triple threat of Haley Peterson, Briley Hill, and Annie Mulder have the Spartans poised for a momentous campaign. All three of those talented players are committed to play for high level Division I programs. Even though Class A was a difficult field to choose from due to the fact there are many talented players and teams throughout the state this year, Lincoln East claims the top spot in the NEST pre-season rankings. The Spartans will begin the season ranked #1 in Class A, and they are considered to be the favorites for the state title. High expectations can be a blessing and a curse for any program. Challenges will surface, but the best teams are able to overcome those obstacles.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Although it is rarely covered by the traditional media giants of the state, Nebraska is filled with exciting and competitive collegiate soccer programs. In fact, Nebraska contains a grand total of THIRTY programs for men and women. Those thirty programs compete across a wide variety of collegiate levels including Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to examine, cover, and promote all of these teams. This task has been made a bit more challenging by the circumstances created by COVID-19. Depending on the playing level, conference, and school, the season outlook changes drastically. Roster information can also be in flux, depending on the school. Despite these challenges, our staff attempted to put together the best program summaries possible. To our knowledge, we are the only outlet providing such coverage to our state’s college programs.

Just like Nebraska Soccer Talk, this column will grow and become more in depth as the years pass. In the future, we hope to provide sideline coverage of games, facility features, coach and player interviews. We look forward to the journey ahead. Thank you for being a part of our community. The sport of soccer is growing in Nebraska, and we intend to see it thrive.

Disclaimer – In the making of this article, team websites and other research sources were utilized. Although we attempt to avoid them whenever possible, errors can occur. Please contact us directly with corrections.

Hastings College

Head Coach – Tim Bohnenkamp

Assistant Coaches – Cesar Herrera

Mascot – Broncos

Nebraska Homegrown Players On Roster –

• #11 Caleb Osmond – Jr – Lincoln North Star – F
• #14 Steven Castillo – So – Grand Island HS – Mid
• #18 Brendon Boatwright – Jr. – Papillion – LaVista HS – Def
• #25 Tyler Mase – Fr. – Omaha Burke – Mid
• #29 Miles Whitaker – Fr – Millard North – Def
• #32 Austin Uhlig – So – Millard North – GK
• #33 Kevin Toledo- Frutus – Jr – Lexington/CCC – Def

6/35 = 17%

NEST Analysis – One must look no further than Hastings’ jerseys to understand the standard of the program. Located just above the school logo are two stars: each representing a national championship. Its most recent championship campaign took place in 2016. Hastings has undoubtedly become the state’s most consistent and successful men’s soccer program year in and year out. Just last year, the Broncos were one victory away from adding a third star to their jersey. In his third year, Coach Bohnenkamp has put together a large and interesting roster. Like many NAIA schools, Hastings is fortunate that Nebraska is home to only two D1 soccer programs, both of which tend to recruit internationally.  Hastings always seems to capitalize on this situation by bringing in some of the best talent that Nebraska has to offer. Combining those high-level homegrown players with prospects from all over the world makes this squad a case study for success. Hastings College is an exciting program that we will look forward to covering. Any Nebraska team that produces championships, All-Americans, and professionals has our attention. 

Additionally, how sweet is this hype video?! This is what it takes to grow your brand and the game of soccer!

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through multiple different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. In the following article series, we will reveal our Pre-season Top 10 rankings for the 2021 season.

This poll was developed while considering many different factors including program track records, recommendations from coaches, and roster strength. With that being said, much of this is subjective and opinions can vary. The rankings will be updated on bi-weekly basis. To the best of our ability, these rankings will reflect the reality of the soccer environment. Adjustments will be made as the season progresses and many conversations will take place. We look forward to those discussions. At season’s end, we will look back to review these pre-season rankings. What did we get right? Where did we go wrong? Which team surprised us all?

Also, included in each article is a section titled Teams on the Verge. These teams ranked just outside our Top 10 but are considered to be in contention. The rankings are fluid and flexible, any team could quickly enter our Top 10 list.

Class B Girl’s Pre-Season List

1. Omaha Skutt
2. Omaha Mercy
3. Omaha Roncalli Catholic
4. Columbus Scotus
5. Omaha Duchesne Academy  
6. Bennington
7. Hastings
8. Gering
9. Elkhorn
10. Blair

Teams on the Verge: Columbus Lakeview, Lincoln Lutheran/Raymond Central

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, the NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Bellevue West

Head Coach – Alan Carr

Previous Records

Players to Watch – Cole Hoppe

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – The Thunderbirds participated in three shootouts in 2019. They were competitive in virtually every game, which is the reasoning behind our “building” status. Victories over programs like Millard West, Omaha Westside, and Elkhorn South are fantastic focus points for any program. 

Anyone that has been around the game long enough has known a time like this. Bellevue West is just waiting to turn the corner and enter into contender status. There is no guarantee that such a change takes place, but there are two reasons for optimism. One of those reasons paces the sideline; the other displays his skills on the field. Coach Alan Carr is a well known and respected soccer mind throughout the metro area. His expertise is essential to the squad’s success. On the field, Cole Hoppe will be a focal point during the 2021 season. His teammates will need to compliment his play, but Hoppe is a good player to build around.  

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible. 

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. In the following article series, we will reveal our Pre-season Top 10 rankings for the 2021 season. 

This poll was developed while considering many different factors including program track records, recommendations from coaches, and roster strength. With that being said, much of this is subjective and opinions can vary. The rankings will be updated on bi-weekly basis. To the best of our ability, these rankings will reflect the reality of the soccer environment. Adjustments will be made as the season progresses and many conversations will take place. We look forward to those discussions. At season’s end, we will look back to review these preseason rankings. What did we get right? Where did we go wrong? Which team surprised us all? 

Also including in each article is a section title Teams on the Verge. These teams ranked just outside our Top 10 but are considered to be in contention. The rankings are fluid and flexible, any team could quickly enter our Top 10 list.

Class A Boy’s Pre-Season List

1. Creighton Prep
2. Omaha South
3. Gretna
4. Lincoln Southwest 
5. Papillion-La Vista South
6. Papillion-La Vista
7. Kearney
8. Grand Island
9. Lincoln East
10. Omaha Bryan

Teams on the Verge: Omaha Burke, Lincoln High, Millard West, Elkhorn South, Omaha Central, Millard North, Omaha Westside, Columbus High, North Platte

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible. 

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, the NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect. 

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it. 

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Bellevue East Boy’s Soccer Team

Head Coach – Luis Vazquez

Previous Records:

Players to Watch – Schyler Smeby

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – Bellevue East is a program searching for an identity and momentum. In 2019, the Chieftains struggled against high level programs, but were able to win against other struggling squads. With the cancellation of the 2020 season, a dramatic turnaround is not out of the realm of possibility. Look for Schyler Smeby to lead this team during the 2021 campaign, as Smeby impressed many throughout the recent club season. 

Being situated in an open district is both a blessing and a curse. If results are going your way, players flock to your program. However, in challenging times, aspects such as player retention and morale can struggle at all levels. Under these circumstances, developing relationships at the youth level should be a priority.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison