<b>Coach: </b>Melissa Bibbee, first season (132-42-13)
<b>2007 Record:</b> 11-5
<b>Key Losses: </b>D Kaitlin O’Connor
<b>Key Players: </b>MF Cortlyn Bristol, JR; MF Katie Menzie, JR; D Kelsey Reiman, SO; MF Gen McManus, SO; F Kristen Melchiori, JR
<b>Quotable:</b> “Our goal this year is to win the district or make the district finals at least and make it deep into the region.” – head coach Melissa Bibbee
<b>Outlook:</b> It may be Melissa Bibbee’s first year as the Chantilly girls soccer team’s head coach, but Bibbee already has a strong reputation in the Northern Region. In nine years at Langley High School, Bibbee recorded 115 wins, four Liberty District titles and a Northern Region title in 2001. Last summer, Bibbee resigned from the Great Falls school to take a teaching position at Chantilly. When former head coach Mike Astudillo resigned, Bibbee was asked to interview. She was given the job a day later.
“I was so happy at Langley and I loved everything about Langley,” said Bibbee, who left the school to be closer to her home in Chantilly. “It was hard.”
Bibbee inherits a team that went 11-5 last year, but lost in the first round of the Northern Region tournament.
“Our goal this year is to win the district or make the district finals at least and make it deep into the region.” said Bibbee.
Helping the Chargers do that will be returning Concorde District Player of the Year and first-team all-region junior Cortlyn Bristol, who finished with 23 goals and nine assists last year.
“Cortland is a great kid to work with because she is a fantastic leader,” said Bibbee. “She leads by example, but she is also the most vocal kid that I have. She is always working hard.”
Bristol will be joined in the midfield by fellow first-team all-district selection Katie Menzie.
While Bristol and Menzie are the marquee names returning, Bibbee believes that her young backfield, led by sophomore Kelsey Reiman, will make a big difference this year.
“I have a couple of kids in the back that are going to be really good players,” she said. “You just haven’t heard about them yet. If the young kids can step up, our team will have a good season.”