Westerville North Girls Soccer Looks to Make Noise in 2025

Westerville — Entering year four under head coach Nick Wheeler, the Westerville North girls soccer program has been firmly built on a system crafted by its coaching staff. With its most experienced roster yet, this year’s team is ready to find out just how far that foundation can take them.

With the program now fully built on their foundation, Wheeler and his staff are witnessing a milestone: the first group of players who joined as freshmen are now finishing their careers as seniors.

“It is a really awesome experience but also a sad one,” Wheeler says. “We watched them grow up and now they are the culture of our team. It is really bittersweet.”

At the forefront of that senior group is Kacee Bohan, a four-year varsity starter who has earned All-OCC honors every season of her high school career. Following in the footsteps of her sister Cori, a former standout midfielder for Westerville North, Kacee has proven to be cut from the same cloth.

“Kacee is a really, really good player in the midfield and a strong competitor,” Wheeler said. “She was one of the best freshmen I’ve ever seen compete at the varsity level, it has been fun to watch her grow.”

Beyond Bohan, seniors Izzy Farrow, Julia Grant, and Arden Heckman are also leading the charge when it comes to Westerville North’s culture and leadership.

Both Farrow and Heckman are multi-sport athletes who also compete in wrestling. Heckman stands out as one of the state’s best, placing in the top five last season and representing Ohio at USA Wrestling’s Junior Nationals in July.

Wheeler says Farrow has impressed with her work ethic and growth over the summer on the pitch, and also has excitement about Grant’s senior season.

“Izzy really brings that grittiness to the field and has had a great summer, so I’m excited to see how she steps up as a senior,” Wheeler said. “Julia has been on varsity for three years and is a really good player, I’m excited to see how she steps up too.”

Tactically, the Lady Warriors enter the 2025 season with a well-prepared squad, coming off a strong summer of workouts. Westerville North plans to rotate two goalkeepers, leaning on Addison Marinelli and Isabella Giannetto to anchor the net.

With the graduation of defensive backs Clara Stewart and Kayleigh Hilderbrand, the coaching staff is getting creative along the back line, making positional adjustments to fill the gaps.

“We are moving Cienna to center back, and I’m excited to see how she works out. She is a really good defender for us,” Wheeler says. “Arden will play back there, and I feel like our back four is extremely committed to playing great defense.”

Kacee Bohan and Kylie Bennett anchor a dynamic midfield, while Julia Grant, Rena Gesouras, and Ruby Vennemeyer lead the front line, fueling a high-tempo attack and an aggressive pressing style that defines Westerville North’s offensive identity.

The Lady Warriors are set for another competitive run in the OCC, with Delaware Hayes and Big Walnut in the hunt for the conference crown. Along the way, they’ll navigate tough matchups against Worthington Kilbourne and clash with crosstown rivals Westerville Central and Westerville South for city bragging rights.

If everything falls into place, Coach Wheeler believes this group has the potential to achieve something special.

“This squad is so cohesive and have so much chemistry, the team culture is exactly where we want it to be,” Wheeler said. “We can fully compete in our conference, we are looking for great games with our rivals, and hopefully a run to a district final or even further.”

Westerville North opens the season on August 18th, hosting Bishop Hartley at 7:15 PM.