The 2025 high school soccer season marked not only the return of head coach Jessica Moretti to the sidelines of the Mountain View High School girls’ soccer program; it also featured a return to form for the Lady Buffalos, who qualified for the 3A State Soccer Tournament after sitting it out in 2024.

Mountain View (6-9, 3-7 in 3A West) posted a 1-2 record at 3A State last month, shaking off a 6-0 opening-round loss to Douglas to beat Rawlins 3-1 in the consolation round, with sophomore Ellie Stoddard scoring a hat trick in the game’s final 12 minutes to put the game away. 

The win secured the Lady Buffs a spot in the Consolation Championship against Buffalo. The Bison won a hard-fought match 2-1, though the Lady Buffs returned home with plenty to build on for the future.

Class 3A All-Conference girls’ soccer selections were announced as May came to a close, with five members of the Mountain View girls’ soccer team receiving postseason recognition. Adding to the program’s accolades, Moretti was named 3A West Coach of the Year.

“I was surprised,” Moretti said. “With basketball it always seems like it's whoever has the most wins on the season. Soccer – it’s just nice to be honored and recognized by your other coaching peers in your region. To be recognized for the efforts and the work that you're doing – it was quite the honor.”

Recent graduate Charlee Porter and sophomore Ellie Stoddard were named to the 3A West All-Conference First Team, as voted on by the Wyoming Coaches Association. Porter was also named to the 3A All-State Team.

Sophomores Abby Jo Wells and Kai Bell and junior Taylor Antonino were named 3A West All-Conference Honorable Mention.

In a conference loaded with high-scoring teams, Porter proved to be one of the top goalkeepers in the state, in just her first full season in net for the Buffalos. The talented senior saved 182 of 209 shots on goal (87%), and earned three shutouts on the season.

“Charlee did a great job back there,” Moretti said. “She's athletic. She moves well. She just has this knack for being able to read the ball. We're in a tough conference, with Cody and Powell and Lander. So while she maybe had more goals against her, she definitely had to take a lot more shots. She had some amazing saves. She's just a great leader and an amazing person.”

Stoddard led the Lady Buffs in just about every offensive category, finishing the season with 27 points – 12 goals, 3 assists and 59 shots on goal. 

“Ellie's awesome – she just has so much energy about her,” Moretti said. “More often than not, I drive by the soccer field and she's out there by herself working, all year long. Anytime she can be out there, she’s out there; she puts a lot of time and effort into it. I'm really excited to see her the next couple of years just continue to grow. She's strong, she's fast, she's a great leader. She was one of our captains on the team as a sophomore. She's just very skillful, just a great player.”

A leader on the defensive line, Wells was another player who returned to the game after several years away from it.

“Abby Jo is really that defensive leader – just a great communicator back there,” Moretti said.  “She played when she was younger, but this was her first year playing with the high school. But she did such a great job in really leading the defensive line. She's fast and aggressive – she plays the ball. She does a really nice job back there.”

At center mid, Bell finished the season with four goals, but Moretti said Bell's greatest strength was her ability to play just about anywhere she was needed.

“I played Kai mostly in the midfield – that center mid position – but there's times she's kind of a utility player,” Moretti said. “I can move her up to a forward, and then I can move her back to a holding mid to help the defensive line, kind of an extra stopper up there. She just does a really nice job connecting passes and communicating. She’s one of those kids that I can wherever I need her to because she's athletic enough and capable enough to do that.”

Antonino was cut from the same cloth as Bell, according to Moretti, with the ability to be a utility-type player when called upon. The junior finished with a pair of assists on the season.

“Taylor falls into that exact same category as Kai,” Moretti said. “She's got lots of speed and strength, and she just works super, super hard. I was able to use her in the midfield forward, and then I bounced her around when we played Cody and Powell, those higher-skilled, faster teams. I would put her on that back line, just to help out. Another utility player that just does lots of good things.”

Reflecting on the season, Moretti said it was a year of growth, from start to finish.

“I felt like I had some adjusting to get going again,” Moretti said. “I just felt like I had a little bit of extra work to do since I was gone for a season. And I'll tell you what, the kids 100% bought into having me back. Not one single day or practice did anybody complain about anything, ever – they showed up to work. It’s easy to coach when you have kids that are coachable. The growth from start to finish was amazing – just the confidence that they built throughout the season, that was fun to watch, them just gaining that confidence in what they were doing.”