Questions surround the opening of the girls soccer season in Howard County as the two pace-setters are in flux.

Sectional champion Kokomo graduated a host of key players and enters the campaign with a good work ethic but a lot of unknowns as the Wildkats look for leaders and scorers. Northwestern enjoyed a 13-win season in 2008 but former coach Paul Crook ended his tenure and has handed the reins to former college player Kacy Slee, who brings a different approach and a different formation to a veteran club.

Elsewhere, Taylor, Eastern and Western look to strengthen the foundations they’ve built and each expects an improved season.

Below are capsules on the five county squads.

Eastern

The Comets improved to post a 10-8 season last year, the best record in the program’s history, but a few close losses still sting as the new campaign begins. This year’s goal is to chase down those close foes and take another step forward.

“Our expectations are what does it take, what is it going to take, to close those gaps and have an even better season?” coach Kevin Duggins asked. He’s shooting for a .750 season.

“We surprised a lot of people last year. [We want to] upset even more people this year so we can get to that mark we set for ourselves.”

Eastern returns the core of the team after graduating just three seniors, and with 33 kids in camp, the Comets can run a full JV squad for the first time since Duggins took over.

Leading scorer Olivia Rees is back for her senior season to attack from the central midfield spot after netting a school-record 23 goals. Juniors Alison Bowman and Zoe Wolfe return as experienced defenders. Sophomore forward Brittney Anderson is back up top. Four-year starter Meghan Thomas, a senior wing defender, also returns.

In goal, junior Vanessa Dove returns after missing part of the season last year due to injury. Sophomore Courtney Jones will back up Dove in goal. Senior Stephanie Parton can play as a wing midfielder or move back into defense. Junior Joy Sommers is a raiding wing midfielder.

Duggins said the team still searches for finishes but makes things happen by trying to put on relentless pressure when the Comets have the ball.

“We’ve been able to overpower teams by keeping the ball down at their end so much that we beat them by the odds,” he said. “Our strength is our ability to control the field as opposed to relying on any one or two particular players.”

Eastern opens with a home game against North Miami on Aug. 20.

“Only graduating three seniors last year, we have a lot of excitement coming into this season,” Duggins said. “A lot of girls have a lot of faith. The teams we only lost to by a goal last year, those are the teams they’re looking forward to playing this year.”

Kokomo

The Wildkats start fresh without the bankable individual talents of last season as they look to follow up a 10-9 squad which won a sectional title.

“We lost a pretty heavy senior class as far as our rotation goes,” Kat coach Myles Geary said. “We had quite a few people that were our key players that graduated. We’re looking to fill those spots and it’s going to be tough. When you lose a group like that, it takes a while to rebuild.”

Geary said he doesn’t want to call it a rebuilding season, but acknowledges that’s what it will be. His rebuilding materials include senior midfielder Molly Lott, senior defender Kali Ackison, and senior defender Abby Hemmeger, who is new to the soccer squad.

Other key players include junior midfielder/attacker Bre Allen, junior defender Caroline Harbaugh, junior defensive midfielder Eileen Oaks, junior midfielder Ciara Johnson, sophomore midfielder Allison Wray, sophomore midfielder Madie Waltemath, sophomore defender Emily Keller, senior goalie Jennifer Keller and freshman goalie Becca Wade.

“We usually have six or seven big-time players and I think we’re going to have a whole team of solid players,” Geary said. “[Opponents] are used to focusing on the bigger names up top. I think you’re going to see scoring from whoever, whenever.”

While the current Kats don’t boast a lot of stars, they have intangibles that Geary thinks will serve them well.

“It’s going to be a tough squad,” Geary said. “I see a lot of heart and a lot of drive right now. We may not have a ton of soccer skills, but I think we’re going to make up for it with athleticism and tenacity and going for the ball. I think that’s going to get us pretty far this year.”

Kokomo opens the season Monday at Hamilton Southeastern.

Northwestern

The Tigers surged to a 13-4 season last year and try to re-capture momentum this season under a new coach, former JV coach Slee. It’s a transition year, but it’s also important that the Tigers get things right quickly.

“We have eight seniors this year so this is a really big year for us,” Slee said.

While a lot has changed, the Tigers are adapting well.

Slee said the changes are “going to be the biggest adjustment, especially with the new formation. They’ve struggled a little in the past with transitioning from offense to defense … so we’ve been working on that a lot and working on cohesion from front to back, and moving as a whole unit.”

Slee, a math teacher at Northwestern who played at Kent State, has plenty of seasoned players to work with and notes the experience and chemistry of the senior class as the team’s biggest strengths.

Starting in the back, the team includes junior goalie Emily Allen and senior goalie Shelby Sherman. On defense are seniors Kara DeFabritis, Lauren Brun and Abby Tice, as well as sophomore Melissa Ullmer.

In the midfield are seniors Morgan Galbraith and Shelby Barnett, juniors Erica Gray, Kayla Priday and Krysta Rhea, and freshman Amanda Kuffell. Seniors Sarah Lubben and Courtney Silvey, sophomore Meaghan Nolder and freshman Addison Dubbels are the forwards. Lubben scored a school-record 39 goals last season as the team poured in a program-best 105.

“I look for us to be successful,” Slee said. “I look for there to be hurdles along the way. I don’t expect them to be perfect, but I expect them to have a very good season because their mental attitude is there. I do look for them to do very well this season.”

Northwestern opens the season at Guerin Catholic on Monday.

Taylor

A maturing junior class means the Titans are raising expectations after the best season in the program’s history.

“I’m really looking forward to the season,” Taylor coach John Piotrowicz said. “[We] have a lot of experience coming back with the heart of our team still being my junior class. The key to our success the last two to three years is that group just working hard and being pretty committed to that sport. Most of those girls [the juniors], soccer is their main sport and it shows.

“We can’t call ourselves a young team anymore. That’s nice, but hopefully they’ll show that they’re an experienced team this year.”

Taylor’s chemistry is a strength as the core players have been together for several years. Where the Titans need to show improvement is in scoring.

“We’ve always had trouble with finishing,” Piotrowicz said. “We had many games last year where we controlled the field and controlled the clock with ball possession but we weren’t able to kick it up a notch and seal the deal. I imagine that’ll be our biggest hurdle this year. We do great getting right up to the 18-[yard box] and then fall short. Hopefully, we can finish this year.”

Among the key players are junior central midfielder Amber Doehrman, who scored a team-high eight goals last year, senior goalie Kylie Weeks, senior forward Carly Moore, senior fullback Skylar Denman, senior midfielder Alli Lipchik, junior midfielder/fullback Courtney Schroeder and junior midfielder Avery Gotshall.

“I’m really positive. We came really close to being .500,” Piotrowicz said, noting that for some programs that wouldn’t be a big deal, but the Titans’ 6-8 record was a sign of growth at Taylor. “For us, that was our best season ever and we’re hoping to improve on that. The girls know that is our main goal and we’ve been doing our best to focus on that.”

Taylor opens the season at Rossville August 25.

Western

The Panthers take to the field with a new coach, Kate Glick, who was an assistant the last two seasons. The new coach, an English teacher at Western, is hoping the Panthers’ grit carries them.

“I think above everything else, we have a good, strong work ethic and a lot of heart, determination and aggression,” she said. “I hope that’ll shine through in our play.”

True to that assessment, Glick said Western’s strength is in the back.

“We have a really strong defense, a lot of veteran players in the defense, and midfield areas as well,” she said. “The defense will really help play to our strengths and we should be able to get the ball up the field from there.”

Where the Panthers need help is in finding more scoring options. Central midfielder Lacey Roe, a junior, is the leading returning scorer.

Senior defenders Jennifer Dale and Maeghan Grove anchor the defense but can also move up to play in midfield and score. Sophomore Kim Grider is also in defense, protecting the goal of senior netminder Abi Banan, who can also play in the field.

Sophomore wing midfielder Brittney Trueblood is a sharp passer and can lend a hand generating goals. Sophomore Elise Briscoe is another wing midfielder. Three freshmen who will also factor in are Jenny Jones, all-arounder Faith Renken and midfielder Morgan Grove.

“Every year that I’ve been here, even as an assistant coach, we’ve improved our record and attitude and overall experience and knowledge of the game. I think we’ll win more than we did last year,” Glick said.

She hopes this team can overcome some of last year’s close losses.

“It all goes back to determination and heart,” she said. “This year I’m trying to instill in them a sense of urgency and better passing techniques, better shooting and creating those plays. If we do that we’ll have a great season.”

Western opens with a home game against Frankfort a week from today.