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For the past two years, the county's top girls soccer teams have been defined by one player.

Churchill: Pam Vranis. Wootton: Allison Yeager. Whitman: Kat Barth.

This year those players are all gone. But Montgomery County has been in this situation before.

Coaches predicted a down year in 2002 after former greats like Gazette All-Decade player Noelle Keselica (Watkins Mill), Kelly Campbell (Gaithersburg) and Mary Hearin (Watkins Mill) graduated. But Quince Orchard and Poolesville both picked up their first state titles that year.

"I've gone through this a bunch of times now, so I think I'm officially old," Churchill coach Haroot Hakopian said of losing top talent to graduation. "That's the way the pattern works. It's never where all the schools go down and one school is the cream of the crop. ... Sometimes they say it's better to be lucky than good, and that's what it comes down to. A little fortune goes into it."

While many of the county's most recognizable names are missing from 2010 rosters, this fall has all the makings of an exciting campaign, as a new crop of talent will get its chance to shine.

Having someone to rely on consistently in clutch situations is one way to win. But without those go-to players, more girls are going to get involved, which will pave the way for future stars.

That said, there is still recognized talent hanging around.

Defending Class 4A state champion Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Blair seemed to avoid the wave of graduation casualties. Both return a high-scoring duo: U-17 National Teamer Alex Doll and forward Vic Gersh for the Barons, Jamie Kator and Sofia Read for the Blazers.

The Barons appear to stand alone slightly above the rest of the field, while the Blazers and 2009 Class 4A West Region finalist Churchill are next in line to challenge.

Quince Orchard, Wootton, Walter Johnson, Gaithersburg, Poolesville, Northwest and Whitman have some big shoes to fill, but also players capable of keeping them afloat. Richard Montgomery, Damascus, Seneca Valley and Sherwood are always dangerous, as well.

"Obviously, B-CC is in a class by themselves," Whitman coach Greg Herbert said. "But after that ... I think whoever wants it, it's going to be up for grabs."

Then there is defending Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion Good Counsel, which always has its share of top-drawer talent. The Falcons are in the exception-proves-the-rule camp this year, with nine returning starters.

After winning their first WCAC crown since 2001, they could be in for a return to their days of late-1990s league dominance.

Holy Cross, on the other hand, lost its biggest playmaker in four-year starting midfielder Colleen Dinn. But part of what helped the Tartans go from three wins in 2008 to 13 last fall was their depth of talent around her, and most of that is back.

Montgomery County annually produces some of the state's best soccer talent. There are many college-bound players who worked in the shadows of some of the aforementioned stars. This season will be an opportunity for some of them to shine.

jbeekman@gazette.net

Fast facts

Players to watch: Alex Doll, Victoria Gersh

Outlook: "Obviously when you have Alex Doll and Vic Gersh on the field you have the opportunity to win." — coach Rob Kurtz

Players to watch: Kristina Valerio, Nikki Ostrow

Outlook: "Since we have so many returning players our passing and teamwork should be much better than years past."— coach Mary Simms.

Players to watch: Sofia Read, Jamie Kator

Outlook: "No one has the duo up front that we have. ... If it's those two against four backs, I'm still betting on them." — coach Bob Gibb

Players to watch: Alexis Shay, Jenna Cantor

Outlook: "We don't have an All-American player to score 22 goals, but we may very well have five or six girls score five or six goals." — coach Haroot Hakopian

Players to watch: Sunita Mengers, Lexy McCarty

Outlook: "We lost four games by one goal last year. We want to learn how to play 80 minutes of soccer and win the close games." — coach Troy Bowers

Players to watch: Mary Hunkeler, Alison Gardner

Outlook: "Although we are small in size, we will play with tenacity. This year, the team has high expectations." — coach Katie Roberts

Players to watch: Krizia Chambers, Ellen Airozo

Outlook: "With our strong defense and goalie, we look to be competitive in every game." — coach Robert Glass

Players to watch: Abby Aposporos, Gwen Leipe

Outlook: "We have a lot of seniors, but the starting team is still fairly young. But if we can build some confidence, we have all the tools." — coach Paul Dowell

Players to watch: Alexis Prada, Midge Purce

Outlook: "We've got nine starters coming back from that championship team. Same back four, same strikers, same midfield." — coach Jim Bruno

Players to watch: Paige Minturn, Hayley Saint

Outlook: "This year, we have so many returning players I feel like we have a lot more depth. I think we're 14-15 deep this year." — coach Nelson Abreu

Players to watch: Dani Armstrong, Caroline Haggerty

Outlook: "I like that I can't completely give three names off the top of my head and say, ‘That's it.' These girls can all contribute in a different way. " — coach Liz Friedman

Players to watch: Hiba El-Kabli, Michelle Rivas

Outlook: "We want to go over .500 and win our division again. Our work ethic and experience of the core players can helps us do that." — coach Rita Boule

Players to watch: Alexandra Wong, Tori Sault

Outlook: "I know that we are going to go through some growing pains this year. But I hope that we can be a difficult team to play against." — coach Tony Pykosh

Players to watch: Jordyn Auge, Nina Lopez

Outlook: "We want to grow as a team after losing seven starters. We want to continue to improve and compete at a high level in the county." — coach Katie Johnson

Players to watch: Carolyn Bruch, Yamu Sarr

Outlook: "We hope to be around .500 for the season and win a playoff game. We have good team chemistry and speed." — coach Carlos Montalvan

Players to watch: Anna Madden

Outlook: "I think this will be one of those ‘learn from our weaknesses, build on our strengths' types of seasons." — coach Danielle Prietz

Players to watch: Kate Frost, Holly Chittenden

Outlook: "We're going through a little rebuilding, but we still have potential to do big things." — coach Christina Mann

Players to watch: Shannon Dwyer, Isabelle Latour

Outlook: "We're definitely returning a much smaller core than we have, but within that, these girls have had the benefit of playing at a high level." — coach Peg Keiller

Players to watch: Chouassi Tshimanga, Hannah Kotarski

Outlook: "We have great individual talent; we want to work on finishing. We want to win our division." — coach Mike Hayes

Players to watch: Jasmine Sampson, Dani Bankins

Outlook: "We're going to play hard. And we're going to do our best. We have eight home games this year, so hopefully that helps too." — coach Claude Sayag

Players to watch: Haley Adam, Nikki Steiner

Outlook: "We want to go further in the playoffs than we did last year. We want to stay healthy throughout the season and become a playoff threat." — coach John Vukovich

Players to watch: Catherine Granville, Taylor Jerome

Outlook: "If the girls believe and buy into one common goal, then the sky is the limit for the potential this season." — coach Travis Beardall

Players to watch: Sydney Williams, Jasmine McRoy

Outlook: "This preseason I have had less work to do setting the tone and the expectations than any previous season." — coach Joshua Kinnetz

Players to watch: Sindi Guillen, Meghan Culkin

Outlook: "Our goalie graduated, but we have such a strong defense I think we are going to be OK." — coach Brandi

Valencia

Players to watch: Hannah Sasscer, Lucy Arledge

Outlook: "We are very young and have a lot of question marks. Our defense is a big question mark. And who is going to score our goals." — coach Greg Herbert

Players to watch: Abby Engleman, Becca Kelly

Outlook: "I think a lot of girls are excited this year because as much as they loved Allison [Yeager], this is their chance to kind of get out from underneath the shadows." — coach Keith Yannity