Ashley Kimmel Most Valuable Player; All-Missota Conference
(photos by Jim Lindquist)
A chart of the Tigers' 2011 fortunes would like that of the recent stock market trends. There were some big spikes and a couple of dips and when all was said and done coach Rob Carpentier's team finished in the middle with a final 8-8-1 season record.
Farmington went 3-3-1 in the Missota Conference to finish fifth in the eight-team league standings. The Tigers lost 1-0 to conference champion Northfield in the opening round of the Section 1AA playoffs.
"I think we had the talent to play with anyone, and we did," Carpentier said. "We were only outshot in two games and no one beat us badly. The fact that we were so young didn't help.
"I don't think we achieved what we could have, but even though I never said this to the girls, I knew it would be a transition year for us. I just didn't know how much of a transition."
All in all, Carpentier and his staff awarded varsity letter to 25 girls for their efforts during the 2011 season, including eight seniors: Kelli Harstad, Tia Jacoby, Ashley Kimmel, Gabby White, Alyssa Parco, Sammy Lammers, Rachel Beck and Taylor Meyer.
Underclassmen letterwinners included juniors Sydney Eckert, Miranda Larson, Naomi Wood, Megan Provost, Tina Oppedisano, Chelsea Bloom, Alex Frost, Emily Pulido and Leah Zak and sophomores Kelly Kornmann, Izzie Ferm, Kelli Elmer, Kenya Macias, Marissa Muelken, Hannah Miller, Kayla Kucala and Maddie Strid.
Kimmel, the team's leading scorer with 11 points, and defensive stalwart Harstad each earned a spot on the all-Missota Conference team. Sophomores Elmer and Ferm received all-league honorable mention.
Kimmel won the Most Outstanding Player Award and Harstad was the team's Most Valuable Player. Ferm garnered Most Improved Player honors and freshman keeper Ashley Becker was Rookie of the Year. Freshman Nicole Doran received the Coaches Award.
Carpentier noted that the biggest highlights of the season came in the form of his team's improvement from the beginning of the season to the end and two big victories over state-rated teams, Park of Cottage Grove (#10AA) and Holy Angels (#7A). The win over Holy Angels was Farmington's first-ever against the Stars.
"I liked the way we played at the end of the year against Holy Angels, Eagan and Northfield," he said. "I think we had unrealized potential but a lot of that was because of our youth."
With 17 letterwinners and 20 players with varsity playing experience slated to return next fall, Carpentier is excited about his team's potential.
"This team is loaded with talent and next year it will bring experience," he said. "We'll have more than half our scoring back as well as all of our defense and all of our keepers.
"Next year we should be in the top two in both the conference and section and the following year should be very, very special."
The Tiger coach said he didn't want to leave the 2011 season behind without paying tribute to his senior class.
"They had the most difficult job of any senior class I've coached." he said. "They were the teachers of the next generation of players. They leave here the most decorated and winningest class in program history. There's a reason for that...They will be missed."
