The quintet of Cincinnatus girls soccer seniors –– Cassia Schuyler, Ava Larrabee, Mandi Waltz, Sidney Glover and Kaedance Latta –– went out on a 2-1 loss to Stillwater in the Class C state semifinals. That was just the fourth loss in their standout careers that lasted four years.
Cincinnatus went 79-4-1 over their careers and included four trips to a Section III title game, three consecutive Section III championships, a loss in the state semifinals, a loss in the state finals and a 2023 Class D state championship.
It’s been a few weeks since the loss to Stillwater and the girls have finally gotten the chance to recognize how successful they’ve been.
“Ending on a loss is definitely hard in the moment, but when you put into perspective everything that we’ve done over the last four years, it’s pretty incredible,” Larrabee said. “It’s something to be proud of.”
“Each of the last three years, we’ve made history,” Schuyler added. “Like Ava said, ending on a loss makes it harder to be grateful for those things because our senior group really wanted it. Not many other people got the opportunities that we got and it’s really cool we got them multiple times, not just once.”
The girls have enjoyed playing together for years, with Schuyler, Larrabee and Waltz being on the same teams for 12 years –– since they were four and five years old. They always believed they were capable of reaching the heights they have because of the support their families gave them from a young age.
“It was engraved into our minds that we could because Cincy is soccer,” Waltz said. “Because all of our family and all of our friends told us we could do this, we knew we could.”
Schuyler, Waltz, Larrabee and the rest of the Lions took that support and used it as motivation. From those first few years playing the game to their senior year in high school, the senior class continued to improve and reach taller heights thanks to the people around them.
“”We never got worse, we just kept advancing,” Schuyler said. “We can thank our community, our coaches, the girls for that.”
“Nobody in our town told us we couldn’t do it,” Waltz added. “There’s so many people who were supporting us and having our backs that made us continue.”
“We’ve had endless support since Day 1,” Larrabee added. “Our community is proud of us no matter what.”
Head coach Lisa Sustad knew Schuyler, Larrabee, Waltz, Glover and Latta were going to lead a top-flight team from the moment they joined the team as freshmen. She saw they had the drive to be the leaders of state championship-caliber teams because of how they respected the game and their leaders.
“I just remember when they were freshmen and sophomores, the enthusiasm and want to win, they would say things like, ‘It’s for the older girls,’” Sustad said. “I knew their ambition and drive would contribute when they were older and it would help them become better players.”
The girls always took the opportunity to shout out the Cincinnatus community for being there for them and it was always appreciated. Larrabee fondly looks back on all the escorts to and from big games, whether they won or lost.
“The fire trucks leading us out and carrying us all the way to where we were playing was just so insane,” Larrabee said. “You can see the line of cars. There’s 20 to 30 cars behind the fire trucks and the buses that just show how much love and support our community brings to the games.”
“And they’re there win or lose,” Waltz added. “They even brought us back after we lost. I think that says more than just bringing us back after we win.”
Schuyler has played with plenty of high-level players from big schools and recognizes she’s been in a unique spot to have so much success in a small, close-knit community.
“I play on an academy team and none of those girls have experienced anything I have,” Schuyler said. “At AAA, AA, they have never experienced a sectional title or it’s very rare. For us to be there three years in a row is very impressive and we cherish those moments.”
Sustad is proud of this group of seniors for giving back to their community by being strong representatives for Cincinnatus. She feels they’ve laid the groundwork for future teams by the way they played, practiced and handled themselves in big moments.
“I believe they’re doing the same thing with the younger kids, even down to the 5-year-olds watching them,” Sustad said. “I tell them all the time, ‘You’re representing yourself, you’re representing your community and school, you need to check yourself in public and not be too crazy.’ I think they’ve been good role models. When we do pep rallies and run through the hallway, the little kids’ faces light up and they slap our hands. It’s things like that that they really do look up to them.”
The girls know they’ve left a legacy at the school that goes well beyond the wins. They’ve brought Cincinnatus together and have put the program on the map, hopefully for years to come.
“I think we definitely have,” Schuyler said. “All three of us have been here since our freshman year and we all left a good mark and were huge contributors. They’re still going to be a great team without us. I think we impacted them in the way we could and we were big parts for getting to states, but they’ll still be good next year.”
“Our team isn’t just made up of the seniors, there’s so many underclassmen who have more talent than I can even imagine having,” Waltz added.
“We want to see them do big things,” Larrabee added. “We’re proud of them even if we’re not in it anymore.”
