Lady Roadrunners set to rely on more depth in 2025

Sedalia, Mo. – The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Lady Roadrunners soccer team is busy preparing for the upcoming season. There will be a lot of new faces on the roster, with 20 players, including five returners from last season.

The coaching staff likes what they have seen from the team so far.

"Practices have gone great," said Head Coach Michael Poropat. "The girls are super motivated. They show up early, they have a fantastic attitude and I'm really excited for them."

Associate Head Coach Roberto Tucker also liked what he has seen so far in practice.

"I think we have a team that can compete," said Tucker. "I'm very blessed that we have a lot of players from the state of Missouri who are very strong players. We have Adamaris Ramirez and Emily Ramirez. We have Ella Smith. Our returning players from Missouri will also bring a lot of leadership to this year's team, because of their experience at the college level. They will be able to help the younger players as they adjust to the college game."

The coaching staff has put the team through a difficult preseason.

"We do a 40-minute endurance run every day at 6 o'clock in the morning," said Tucker. "Then we have a very intense practice and then we come back at 7 o'clock in the evening to work on team chemistry and continue to put the team together. We want this team to be a family. We want to successful on and off the field and in the classroom."

Coach Poropat likes the way the schedule sets up for the team.

"We have a game on the weekend and a game in midweek throughout the season," said Poropat.

The Lady Roadrunners will open the regular season with a game at Highland Community College–Kansas on Saturday, Aug. 23. They will open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, Aug. 30, with a match against Allen County Community College. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Coach Poropat expects Region 16 to be a battle as always.

"Every team in the region is good," said Poropat. "You can't sleep on anybody. We expect to compete in the region."

Coach Tucker has some goals that he would like to see the team accomplish this season.

"We want to have everyone together," said Tucker. "We want to have every kid happy in the team and we want to win games. I am happy to come back to SFCC. We are all going to try our best to have a successful season."

"We are excited to have Coach Tucker return to State Fair Community College," said Poropat. "He brings a lot of energy and is super motivated. He works a lot of hours. The soccer program is blessed to have him."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics